Transcendence: Flare
by Hiasobi
Summary: The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam is not a hero and human. He feels like the Cube
1. Flare: An Introduction

This is going be a one of those long slowly developing stories. **  
**

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.  
**Pairings:** SamMikeala, hints SamBumblebee

* * *

_I am Optimus Prime. And I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here. We are waiting._

* * *

Sam had thought it was over, for the most part anyways. Megatron was destroyed, the remains of the Decepticons dropped into the ocean, the Autobots accounted for and following him most days. Strange to be in the presence of alien robots was what accounted for normal these days, but that was the way things were. 

Mikeala and he was now a couple, a happy couple, to the bewilderment of the school and their friends. Trent and the other popular crowd thought Mikeala was making a huge mistake but she said she didn't need their approval. Miles thought Sam was the luckiest guy alive to be able to finally get her to be his girlfriend after years of crushing on her.

There should have been a great many things he needed to explain to his parents, like where he had been taken by Sector 7, Bumblebee's new appearance, and why he had returned home escorted by discreet military bodyguards. But the government had wanted the facts kept hidden and Sam had been ordered to keep silent about the Autobots and the AllSpark. They provided a cover story for him; that they had taken him for an issue of national security, due to some unfortunate events, which were classified, Sam's old Camaro had been destroyed and they provided the new car (they replicated the custom paint job as well) and hoped it was satisfactory, the damage to their property was to be repaid and repaired (as well as some upgrades pitched in free) by the government, and everything was going to be fine - as long as they signed on the dotted line about discretion.

The hardest thing to explain was the bruises all over Sam's body, his parents were ready to sue for brutality but Sam quickly said that they had been from his own foolishness that as long as he had been with the military he had asked to be taught some martial art and defense (as opposed to falling from Optimus Prime's shoulder at the bridge to land into Bumblebee's rigid metal hands with too many corners, rolling and running for his life in a war zone, falling from a collapsing building as Megetron sliced off the corner and landing in Optimus Prime's cold, metal, non-soft fingers), and ended up on the training mat more times than not, since the agents did not pull their punches. The many bruises and internal injuries were healing quite well, he was just not allowed on doctor's orders to be doing any vigorous exercise.

If some houses close to his were bought and a freight truck, ambulance, a hummer, and a few non-descript cars with tinted windows were often parked around the neighborhood, not too many rumors were attached to him in significance.

Sometimes Sam wonders at things, late at night in his room when he's not with Mikaela at the rock edge, when he's not evading his parent's not-so-subtle questions, when he's not trying to hide from the government agents who come to check up on him every few days, when he's not speading time laughing, lounging, talking with the Autobots.

_' No matter what happens, I'm really glad I got in that car with you.'_ Mikaela had said in the middle of the crazy battle scene where there had been people dying left and right, military troops pulling maneuvers and trying to save lives, Autobots fighting to protect the humans from the Decepticons, Bumblebee crippled and alone in the middle of the debris, the All Spark and a flash rod held tightly in his hands as he raced towards what could have been his death.

_' 50 years from now when you're looking back on your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?'_ He had asked her merely the night before.

He had her answer then, but now, he wondered about his. He had the guts to get in the car, that was over and done with but _'I'm really glad I got in that car...'_. He wasn't sure what he felt. His life could have been so much different, maybe, if he _hadn't_ gotten in the car. Hadn't ridden Bumblebee, let the Autobot drive him to where the other Autobots were gathering after crashing onto Earth, finding out the survival of the human race depended on him, that his great-grandfather's glasses held such important information, to meet Simmons, Sector 7, the Army, Captain Lennox, the Secretary of Defense John Keller himself.

Now he lived his life with a beautiful girl by his side, four Autobots who watched over him so closely that it was hard to even find time alone with his girlfriend, many times having to settle with making out on top on Bumblebee's hood as the other Autobots ignored the display. His relationship with the Autobots was another thing he never could fully explain (nor did he try to look too closely on).

_'I'm not going to leave you.'_ He had told the crawling Bumblebee in the torn up cement and fighter jet screeching in the background, right before his beloved transformed Camaro put the AllSpark into his too small, too human hands and made him responsible for the success of the whole mission.

_I'm just a sixteen-year-old boy scared out of my mind._ He thought as he ran for the building with the statues on top leaving his crush hotwiring a tow truck, his trusted Autobot without legs, his safety, and his sanity behind as he mad dashed it across the city streets.

He wondered why it had to be him. Why it had to have to been his great-great-grandfather.

When Megatron asked him _'is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshling'_ all he did was not think. Not think and repeat the Witwicky motto over and over in his head: no sacrifice, no victory. No Sacrifice, No Victory. He had just wished he wouldn't have to be the sacrifice for the victory.

Later when he fell from the top of the building, when he landed in Optimus' hands, when he crawled back towards Optimus, when he was shoving the AllSpark into Megatron's chest, all he was doing was Not Think.

And when they won, when Megatron was dead and the Decepticons were defeated, and people were slapping him in the back in exhilaration and victory, all he could do was let himself feel the relief and happiness of a battle won and Not Think of how he had just killed Megatron, of the blistering heat of the cube and the Spark in the Lead Decepticon's chest as they contacted, of the sadness in Optimus' voice when he looked down on Megatron's corpse and proclaimed _'you left me no choice, Brother'. _

Had Sam had a choice? What would Bumblebee and the others have done if he hadn't gotten in the car that time? What if he ran with Mikaela away from the super-advanced-definitely-Japanese-robot?

Sam tries to Not Think about things like that as well and it doesn't matter if he is glad he got in that car or not, because the fact is he _did_ and he had had the guts to get in that car.

It's a quiet night as he lay in his bed, staring to the ceiling, a rare thing these days. There's always something to do, someone to meet, some people to debrief. He has a file marked 'Top Secret' in the Pentagon, a list of key words to say over the phone in emergency, and phone numbers to several key top military personals that sometimes don't exist.

He really tries to Not Think about how his life ended so screwed up in a matter of days and if there had been some way, some thing he could have done to have made it all better. Because a few weeks down the line, now that all his injuries and bruises have healed, the government settling in nicely around his neighborhood, the Autobots somewhere in the night with Bumblebee, his life is finally getting back to a manageable normal.

When the doorbell rings he shifts to his side on his bed, hoping it was not another one of the neighbors or his parent's friends who came to ask about the rumors of having been taken by the Secret Agents that night and not returning till a few days later. About how their son has shady looking guys following him around sometimes. About how the house under went a totally professional makeover.

" Sam!" His mother called. " It's for you!"

He pushed himself up and headed downstairs, wondering who it was at this time of the night. He had driven Mikaela home earlier, Miles was not allowed out this late, and the agents checking in on him usually did it during the day so they could avoid his parents eavesdropping.

He walked down the stairs to see his mother standing by the opened door and a teenage girl on the outside step. His mother sent him a sly smile before not so subtly winking leaving them alone.

She was small, around 5 feet, black hair, brown eyes, and Asian. She had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, wore running shoes, blue jeans, a black tank top and a purple sweater.

He had never before seen her in his life.

" Uh..." he said so eloquently.

" Can we talk?" She said softly.

" Sure, yes! Um," he looked around to see his parents sitting on the couch, pretending to watch TV but turned to watch him. He shot them an annoyed look, they presented to watch TV, and looked for a place he could talk in privacy, " let me just find..."

" Outside?" She asked with a quirk of her lips at his bumbling.

" What? Oh! Outside, what, okay!" He quickly stepped out and closed the door behind him.

She took a few steps back off the steps and onto the lawn. He wondered if he should tell her that his father wanted her to stay on the steps but held his tongue, he was more interested in what she wanted to say. He didn't know her and it was probably a stupid move to walk outside with her so freely but she was shorter, and smaller than him. She also had her arms wrapped loosely around her middle as she walked lingeringly across the grass back to the street, like she wasn't sure where to go.

He looked around the street, seeing the cars parked along the side but none recognizable Autobots in disguise. There was a nice looking Honda Accord parked next door with a shiny blue paint job that looked black in the night. His neighbors had felt slightly upstaged by his new car as his dad bragged and they had upgraded some things.

He treaded onto the grass with her. She stopped and turned to look at him, her gaze dark. Her face was drawn and bags were visibly under her eyes, she looked tired.

He was a teenage boy going through puberty and a sucker for pretty girls, and although she wasn't curvy or tall or as beautiful as Mikaela, she was tiny in a pixie way and fairly pretty. She also eluded a sense of fragility at the moment.

She had known his name, that much she had to know since she had asked for him with his mother. The only thing left to judge was if she was trouble, but the Autobots would be back soon and if he ended up somehow taken by a girl half his size, Bumblebee and Optimus would come get him.

But he doubted it; most of his danger came from large Non Biological Extraterrestrials. The human factors after were just annoying, not dangerous.

" Can I help you?" he asked hesitantly.

She looked at him with that gaze for a few more moments before her shoulder slumped the slightest noticeable degree and sighed, her arms tightening around her abdomen.

" My car told me to find you." She said solemnly.

" What?" He yelped.

" My car," She repeated slowly but nervously as some one did for the hard of hearing or stupid.

" No!" He shouted. " No, I mean...I heard you the first time." His shoulders slumped. There went normality. " Why me?" He questioned the heavens.

She was tense and jittery. " I...found a package with your picture, name, and address. I was encouraged...thought...I should probably find you."

He quirked his lips, surprised but not that she didn't come out right and say 'my super-advanced-car-turn-robot downloaded information on you by connecting to the internet and possibly hacking into confidential systems it didn't know was confidential, breaking several human laws.' His comment didn't really confirm that he wouldn't think she was crazy.

" I just," he covered his face with his hands and rubbed them up and down, " I thought we had everyone." He winced at the pain racing up his arms, the burns he suffered from pushing the cube into Megatron was mostly healed, but his new skin was sensitive.

She calmed a bit, no longer looking ready to bolt, but still tense. " So you do know what's going on?" she asked.

" If we're talking about." He stopped.

He looked around the yard to see they were alone on the street then twisted his head to see his parents had opened the living room curtains and were watching them from the couch. They quickly made to look like they weren't interested in the events outside the glass and sipped their drinks facing the TV. Sam jerked his head to lead her away from the window view to the sidewalk so he could speak without being overheard.

" If we're talking about cars having a mind of their down, breaking down and starting whenever they feel like it, choice songs on the radio," he shrugged, " yeah, I know about that."

She walked next to him looking relieved. " Thank God. Thank you."

They reached the pavement and turned left. They continued walking for a few steps, waiting for the other person to speak. As they reached the end of the Witwicky property there was the sound of an engine revving behind them. Sam turned quickly, he hadn't seen any suspicious cars on the street earlier, maybe it was Bumblebee, and was surprised to see the blue Honda Accord following them lights on, no driver in the seat.

" That's" was his proof.

" My car." She finished.

" I thought it was my neighbor's!" He told her shocked.

She shrugged. " Accords are very a common car; being a large or new, expensive car catches too much attention. It's good for staying low."

Sam laughed nervously, thinking of how large and blatantly colored Optimus was, the amount of awe and jealously Bumblebee invoked, and the attention Rachet and Ironhide sometimes caught. " Good thinking." He said smiling stiffly.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye as she walked near the edge of the side walk, the half hooded look that told him that she did not buy his comment at all, but was amused in how he didn't want to be caught doing what was the opposite of a good move.

" It's okay. You probably have a top of the line, new, expensive, way showy car." The flush started from his neck and went up. " But that okay. At least you have a nice new car while I have the three-year-old second hand shit box of an Accord - WHOA!"

The Accord revved and driving one wheel onto the sidewalk bumped her behind the knees with its bender, bumped her so she fell backwards onto the hood clumsily, rolled, and fell off the side onto the hard pavement.

" Hey!" She said, getting up by bending at the knees and pushing on her hands. " The paint job's nice but that doesn't mean you're NOT,"

A brief half-second beep of the horn and the front door swung quickly open in retaliation to smack on her on ass, sending her flying forward.

" Oh that's _it_," she snarled, " I'm going to make you _pay_ you crappy car."

The Accord blinked it headlights and revved its engine in challenge. Sam watched wide eyed taking the scene in, half sympathizing from his own experience, and half trying to rein in his laughter. It didn't work. A guffaw escaped and he quickly crossed his arms with one hand covering his mouth, she flipped her hair out of her face and turned her furious eyes on him.

He coughed to cover up another guffaw. " Cars are sensitive." He said to her. " You just hurt its feelings." He tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn't working. " And as you said, its good for staying low." He finished before breaking out in laughter.

" Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." She said from her position on the ground.

Sam stopped as he remembered that laughing at the pretty girls while they were down was not the way to endear yourself to them. " Haha. Erm, here let me help you up." He said rushing forward and bending to give her a hand. " I was just remembering also when I was questioned why if 'it was this super-advanced-robot why did it turn back into this piece of crappy-'" Some thing large and fast smacked him in the ass and sent him crashing into her and both of them tumbling to the pavement.

They groaned when they came to a stop. Sam opened his eyes and despite his aching body, he found himself on the bottom of the pixie-sized girl, her small breast pressing onto his chest, their legs entangled, her head tucked under his throbbing chin, and silently thanked God. The girl pushed up on her hands and gave him a weird look.

" Did you say something?" She asked.

His eyes wide he shook his head decisively. She stared at him for a moment and then rolled off, sliding her body against his. He closed his eyes in wonder and promised to never tell Mikaela this happened. He turned his head to see her slowly getting to her feet. He quickly pushed himself up, as he ached less than she, having only kissed the pavement once. He extended his hand once more and she took it. They both hissed as open scraps brushed against each other and their hands exploded with fire, but they didn't let go until both were steady on their feet.

Sam tired to drag it out as inconspicuously as he could, but then she finally stopped wavering and the heat shooting up his arm was becoming too much. His whole palm throbbed and he slowly opened and closed his fingers to get the blood flowing correctly.

" So..." She shifted her weight from one side to the other.

He looked nervously at her " Yeah..."

An engine revved and the Honda came up beside them. She looked from the car to him.

" Do I...leave it with you?" she asked.

" What?" He looked at her blankly. " No! No, you don't have to ditch your car, I mean, how would you get anywhere from here?" He laughed but stopped, as she didn't recuperate. " I just need to um...contact some people. They already know about this." He reassured her. " I'll let you know tomorrow about what's going to happen. Do you have a phone number or something I can call you at?" He asked, hoping.

She shook her head. " I just arrived here today. Could we meet up tomorrow? Should I come by to your house again?"

Sam thought of his house, then the last time Mikeala, Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots were there at the same time. He quickly shook his head.

" No, no. There's a rock cliff by the lake, it's usually pretty deserted. We could meet there at sunset tomorrow? Don't worry, you can't miss me." He told her. " Just look for the yellow Camaro or the blue-red freight truck."

She sent him a weird look before nodding slowly. " Right. Rock cliff by the lake. I'll drive around."

" Just stick to the road from the lake, you'll see it." He said.

The Honda cruised to a stop beside the girl and gently popped open the door, this time making sure she was out of its path. She stared at the empty leather driver seat and slowly made to get in.

" Wait!" Sam called lurching forward.

She paused and turned.

" What's your name?" He asked nervously, suddenly realizing that he didn't know it.

" Syri Kasu." She told him.

" I'm Sam Witwicky." He said. She smiled at him and then he remembered that she already knew. " Ah, but, you already knew that. I guess." He laughed. " I just thought it would be better to be formally, you know, introduced to each other." He smiled, as naturally as he could, inwardly cursing himself why he had to be an idiot.

" It's nice to meet you Sam." She said smiling. " Formally."

So he hadn't totally blown it. He quickly stepped up and stuck out his head. " Yeah, me too."

She reached out and they shook hands, palms burning once more and they both winced.

" I'll see you tomorrow." She said, getting into her car.

" Tomorrow." He repeated and watched as the car rolled out down the street. " Tomorrow." He waited until the taillights turned the corner before bringing up the injured palm and kissed it. " Yes! I love my life." He quickly turned around to run back inside his house before his parents came to see what was holding him so long.


	2. Flare: Circumstances

Some of you are saying that Soundwave is a stealth bomber (which, I think I like better), but I'm taking him from **More Than Meets The Eye (G1)** and there he's a cassette player, or at least in the first few eps I've seen. Possibly he's something else in a different series? I'll see about incorperating the changes in, but for now he's a cassette player.

If there are anything else, please let me know. I've only watched the movie and a few eps of the **Generation 1** series. I've also meshed the earlier chapters together since I thought they were too small.

* * *

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Two: Circumstances

Sam woke the next morning groggily by slamming the snooze button on his alarm clock. He turned over in his bed and was determined to sleep another 10 minutes but like many mornings, the alarm woke Mojo, allowed Mojo to assume Sam was awake and the dog started barking. Sam groaned and turned back over.

" Mojo, shut up. I'll get your breakfast in 10 minutes okay?" The dog continued barking. Another minute of non-stop barking from the tiny canine before Sam got frustrated enough to wake. " Damn it, what does a person have to do to get some peace around here?"

An engine revved outside his open window and he looked out see Bumblebee parked next to the house. He quickly stuck out his hands to tell the Autobot to stop making noises.

" Bee! Stop it! Good morning to you too but my parents"

" Sam! What are you doing in your car so early? Come back in here young man, you haven't had you're breakfast yet! And Mojo was calling for you!" His mother shouted from downstairs.

Bumblebee stopped his machinations and went helpfully silent. " I'm in my room, mom!" He yelled. " Just getting up! Yup! Going to feed Mojo soon!"

" Wasn't that just your car starting?" She called back confused.

" What? No! Probably just someone driving by the street."

" Oh. Well, Breakfast is ready!"

" Coming!" He replied and quickly went to get dressed and wash up. Grabbing his backpack and tucking Mojo under his arm he went downstairs.

" Morning Mom, Dad."

" Morning Sam." His parents replied.

He let his dog down and watched him run to the dish set aside for him filled with dog food. " Okay, I'm going to have to take my breakfast to go, I've got to pick up Mikaela soon." Sam said, picking up his sandwich and walking towards the front door.

" Yeah, okay." His mom replied, handing him a bottle of water. " Who was the girl last night?"

He paused and thought fast. " Um...one of Mikeala's friends. She wanted to let me know something Mikeala said."

" Oh." His mom said sounding almost disappointed.

" Just let the boy go." His father interrupted. " He's got to pick up his girlfriend and go to school."

" Well, I was just asking, I mean, no girls used to come around looking for Sam." His mom defended.

Sam winced at the true comment. He really didn't want his position on the social ladder talked about any more. " I'm going now. See you later. Oh, I'll probably be out late tonight." He smiled brightly at them. " Date with Mikaela, I'll be back before curfew."

His dad nodded. " Okay, son."

" Invite her to dinner sometime! We'd love to get to know her better."

He waved and headed out the door. His car was already parted at the end of driveway and the door popped open for him right when he reached it. He got in without a pause and the door closed and the car started without any prompting from him.

" Morning Bee, going to pick up Mikaela now." Sam said with his mouth half full.

" _Morning everyone - currently 8:15 am - how's the morning been so far?_" Different talk radio hosts voiced.

He pulled on the seat belt and placed one hand on the steering wheel in case someone was looking at him. " It's been good. Better if it wasn't a school day though."

" _Let's go with the flow._" A female voice sang.

Sam smiled. " Yeah, that's the way it is." He thought about the stares and whispers that followed him now at school and knew the only way to live it down was to ignore them, go about this daily routine, until they found something more interesting. He hoped it was soon. As they turned the corner some blocks away from Mikeala's house he thought about the girl who had showed up on his front porch just hours before.

" Hey, Bee." He said. " Call Prime and the others will ya? Tell them to meet after school, I think I have something important to tell you guys."

" _Our moment have arrive, it was just the right time. For conversation._"

He laughed. " I'll tell you after school with the others, it'll do nothing but drive distract you for the day otherwise."

The radio channels switched but the Camaro simply set to a soft rock station and pulled to a stop in front of Mikeala's house, and honked. The high school girl came running out of the house and Sam smiled.

**Meanwhile **

Some considerable miles away from the school a blue Honda Accord parked outside an empty warehouse but away from the view of local traffic. A tiny Asian girl sat in the driver seat, popped her seatbelt and reached across the front seats for the bag of groceries in the passenger side. The laptop plugged into the front by the sound system was lit and beeped.

_You didn't give them your real name._ The text typed.

" I'm not stupid." She said, pulling the bag to her side. " You Autobots could hack into the security systems, and they would find out my identity before I'm ready to tell them. I mean, you did, to find him, and them, and where they were. And what had happened to the Decepticons in the national security files. That only took us 10 minutes tops, to remain undetected."

_You have to trust them._ The cursor blinked. _They'll help you._

" No." She answered. " They'll help _you_. That's the deal; we're here to find them for _you_. I have nothing to do with them. We're here to find them, let them know you're alive, and you can join back with your buddies and the rest of us gets on with our lives."

_You're going to keep running?_

She slumped back into the seat and sighed, giving up the notion of not having this talk. " I'm not running."

_They know people. The report gives indication of a good relation between the Autobots and the human government._

" Yeah, well, I've spent my time under human authority. I'd rather not deal with them again thanks."

_You can't keep running, Siri._

Siri gripped the plastic bag in her bandaged palms. " I'm not running. I'm of legal age. I'm living under my own power."

_You don't have a home, job, much money, or belongings._

" And whose fault is that?" she said sharply. " I had a house back in the city, and things of my own. But I had to leave them to bring you here."

_You wouldn't have stayed anyways._

" Maybe not. But I'd have stayed until I had enough to move out. Now I just cleaned out my back account to go across the country with you to Nowhere-Ville."

_Optimus Prime and the others can help you. The humans too. The Autobots wouldn't have stayed with bad people._

" Maybe they can. But I'm not going to find out."

_Siri._

" Look, if you really want them to help see if you can get that medic friend of yours to heal Soundwave when you get back." She said, knowing it was unlikely. " Otherwise we're fine."

The screen was silent.

Her eyes softened. She leaned forward and kissed the sigma in the middle of the steering wheel gently. " Thank you for all you've done, Prowl. But the time has come, we've found your friends now. You can't protect me forever." She got out of the car and closed the door.

She walked towards the back entrance of the old, beaten down warehouse where soft noises of movement from the inside signaled someone was waiting for her. She smiled and entered, never seeing the message blinking on the electronic screen.

_I'll protect you as long as you need me, Siri._

"Kenneth!" She called.

" Siri! You're back!" A 10 year old blond, blue eyed boy cried happily from his peach on the back of a electronic jaguar.

Kenneth was small, about a feet and a half shorter than her. He was lean, and the jeans and black t-shirt he wore was comfortably broken in. The running shoes were old and a blue jean jacket was tied around his hip.

He boy jumped off the large electronic cat and raced into her arms, short blond hair flying up in the air. " How did it go? Did you meet them? Was there any others? Did you see them in their robot form? Did Prowl come back? Is Soundwave going to get fixed?"

" Whoa, whoa!" She said amused, " one question at a time, squirt!" She pushed him back gently and handed him the bag of provisions. " I met Sam, that's the teenage boy we read the file on. I didn't get to see any of the Autobots, I've arranged to meet them later today. Prowl's out in front. We'll see about getting help for Soundwave later."

Kenneth nodded, then sat down on the dusty floor and dug into the bag for food. Ravage, the large, lean, electronic feline walked up and stood next to the boy. Siri shook her headed and walked over to the other end of the warehouse where a large black and metal robotic form sat propped up against the wall.

" Hey Soundwave." She greeted. " We've made contact with the boy connected to Prowl's friends, but we couldn't find any of your comrades. I'm sorry, the report might be right after all."

The report that all the Decepticons was gone and their remains dumped into the Laurentian Abyss. Starscream was the only one that remained unaccounted for, but he wasn't any of the ones Soundwave wanted to see.

" Hello." Soundwave answered in a monotonous electronic voice, but did not add anything in response to the news she brought.

He might be grieving and feeling alone. Siri placed a hand on the leg of the robot. " You can stay with me and Kenneth." She told him. " Once Prowl's with his comrades, we can leave."

A horn sounded from the outside.

" The Autobot is against the idea." Soundwave said monotonous.

" Yeah, he's against a lot of things." She teased. " Don't worry. If we can't find your friends after this, we'll just fix you up ourselves."

Loud mumbled agreement came from behind them until the sound of Kenneth choking on his mouthful, Ravage purred and toppled the bag to rolled out bottles of water. Kenneth quickly opened a bottle to chug down the food. Siri chuckled briefly to look up and see glowing eyes staring down at her.

After a pause Soundwave said again in that electronic voice, " Yes."

Siri understood that he wanted to thank her but he still didn't understand or know how. Just like he probably didn't understand her or Kenneth and why they insisted on helping him as they did Prowl. Autobots and Decepticons were on different sides of the fight, yet Siri and Kenneth didn't care. That confused both Prowl and Soundwave.

She patted him on the leg. " Alright. I'd better get some food in me before Kenneth eats it all. You too, you need to recharge, you're not healed."

Kenneth bit enthusiastically into his second burger. " Come on Soundwave!" He waved his hand in the air. " Dinner time! Then rest!" They'd been up the whole night waiting for Siri to come back.

Soundwave stared down at them but did not speak. Then slowly he began to change and transform. He shifted, folded, and shrunk in size until he became an old model cassette player. Siri picked him up and walked over to Ravage and Kenneth. The boy dug back into the large bag and pulled out an economy-sized package of DD batteries.

Siri watched Kenneth wiped his hands with some tissue before handing the player over. Kenneth held onto the worn electronic carefully, moved the electric cord aside as they had no outlet, and popped open the back compartment. Siri tore the cellophane and Kenneth placed four large batteries into the battery compartment.

He also took another and threw it in the direction of Ravage. The electronic cat predator jumped up and caught the battery, and then settled down to bite on it like it was a steak. Siri settled down to eat and Kenneth waited for a sign from Soundwave to let him know when the batteries were drained and to put in new ones, occasionally one of them chucking another at Ravage when the large cat was finished one.

Siri smiled and Kenneth giggled contently. Later they would refuel Prowl.

* * *

" You said what?" Ratchet asked incredulous. 

" I met a girl last night," Sam repeated, " Her name was Sigh-ri, Kesu or something like that. She has an Autobot with her, an old model blue Accord. Anyways, I told her to meet us here around sunset."

The Autobots and Mikeala were gathered with him on the outlook. Most of them looked stunned. Optimus nodded his head.

" So they were able to receive my message. This bodes well." Optimus said.

Mikeala stared at Sam with a look on her face but he didn't understand what she was trying to convey. " Um...yeah, guess so. So uh, Optimus," Sam said, " how many more should we be expecting? And what message?"

" I've sent out a message to alert other Autobots of our presence on this planet. And that we are here, waiting." Optimus said in his rumbling voice.

" Wait, what?" Sam backtracked. " You sent a beacon out? Did you tell the military about this?"

Optimus Prime tilted his head. " I believe they are expecting this."

Ratchet nodded. " Or they should be."

" What?" Sam said confused.

" They're buddies." Mikeala cut in. "They found a safe place, so they'll obviously tell their comrades."

" Oh, Right. Right."

" Did you see the Autobot?" Bumblebee questioned after transforming into his robotic form. " Did they tell you who the Autobot was?"

Sam shook his head. " Um, no. They left pretty quickly, but like, we'll find out soon. When they come."

" Are you sure it wasn't a Decepticon?" Ironhide asked.

He blinked, and then thought on it. " It followed her." Sam said. " It was with her, sort of like how Bumblebee is with me."

There was a pause.

" I see." Optimus Prime said gravely.

" Cool." Mikeala said smiling. " Finally another girl in the know."

" I wonder which of our brothers it can be." Ratchet mused.

" Anyways, I guess we'll hang around until sunset." Sam said, then his stomach growled. He blushed. " Um, after we get some food?"

Gears shifted and Bumblebee became a Camaro once more. The door popped open in front of Sam. "_ Come with me, I'll show you the best places to be._" The radio blared.

Sam tucked himself into the drivers seat and Mikeala went hurriedly around the side. She opened the door and got in. " We'll make it a date." She told him cheekily.

He smiled, eyes bright. " Great!"

" We'll wait for you here." Optimus voiced down at them.

Bumblebee honked his acknowledgement; Sam stuck his head out and nodded. Then the Camaro drove off back into town, leaving the rest of the Autobots to transform into their vehicle forms, parked on the view.

Sam gripped the steering wheel then winced as his abused palms protested. He let go and allowed Bumblebee to steer.

" Take us to Marl's Diner, Bee." He said.

Mikeala looked at him, and his cradled hands in concern. " Everything alright Sam?"

" Yeah, I fell and scratched my hands a bit. It'll be better soon." He assured her.

" Are you still recovering from the burns?" She questioned as they turned the corner.

" I'm mostly healed, my skins just a bit sensitive and easy to scratch. No big. It'll be better soon."

She bit her bottom lip. " But it's been almost two months."

-Brightness of Megatron's Spark, heat of the cube, fire racing up into the Decepticon's chest and down his fingers, a melted hole and a deformed All Spark, the light going out of Megatrons eyes-

" Yeah, well, it wasn't like it was made by conventional means, right?" He said, voice light.

She laughed. " I guess." And went back to watching the wide-open road. " So exams are almost coming..."

Sam smiled and nodded, glad that the topic was changed. He didn't like talking, or thinking about it. Most nights still, his dreams haunt him.

**Meanwhile **

Prowl was parked on the outside of the warehouse, the Autobot avoided being in the same building as the Decepticon. There was too much antagonism in the air or mutual confusion that united them on the decisions of their two human charges. Prowl wasn't sure which one was worse.

A small blonde head peeked out from the ledge of the dirty, rusted window. When he saw no one was around he pushed the door opened and ran out towards the car. A metallic jaguar followed in his footsteps, as if guarding him.

" Prowl!" The youngling Kenneth called.

Ravage stayed back while the blonde boy ran towards the car. As Kenneth got close, Prowl popped open the side door and the youngling scrambled into the passenger seat. He turned and sat facing front, and turned to look at the lit screen.

_Hello Kenneth._ The text typed.

" Hey Prowl." The boy greeted back.

_I believe Siri went for a walk around the grounds._

Kenneth nodded. " Yeah."

_She asked me not to follow her._

" She took Soundwave." The youngling said, and the car tensed. " You guys don't get along too well."

_We have our reasons._

" Is it true?" Kenneth asked. " Did you find your friends?"

_We believe so._

" Oh." The boy said, and looked down, picking at the upholstery. After a few seconds he looked back up to the screen. " Are you going to see them today?"

_Yes._

" Are they good friends, Prowl?" Kenneth asked quietly. " Do you miss them a lot? Are you lonely without them?"

_They are my brothers. I look forward to seeing them again. I have been alone and missed them for a long time._

" Are you happy with finding them?"

_I'm very happy._

Kenneth stared quietly at the screen then his lips stretched into a large, bright smile. " I'm glad. I'm happy that you're not alone anymore Prowl. You're a great friend. I'm sure they missed you too."

_Thank you._

Kenneth turned and pulled open the door level. " I'm going to find, Siri. I hope you'll say bye before you go later!" He scrambled out of the seat.

The laptop beeped but the boy didn't turned back to read what was written. He ran out towards the metallic feline.

" Come one Ravage." Kenneth called. " Race you to Siri!"

The boy and robotic feline took off. Leaving Prowl and his confused message still on the screen. _We could take you with us to meet them Kenneth._

Siri walked the cement grounds with Soundwave tucked under her arm, looking for an electrical outlet. They had finished off the batteries pretty soon and she wondered perhaps if they should use the money to rent a motel room for a night soon. It would be nice to sleep on a comfortable mattress again. Kenneth would probably like it, and the TV even if there were only news channels.

She had some money left and they had avoided motels and rent places, sleeping outside or in empty buildings like the warehouse they were currently to save money, sometimes inside Prowl on rainy nights. They hadn't worried too much from danger as Soundwave, Ravage, and Prowl watched over them at night. But now they found Prowl's friends, the money situation shouldn't be too tight. They had to penny pinch a lot when she wasn't sure how long it might take to locate them.

But if she took the remaining money and rented an apartment for a month or two, she could get a job as a waitress or something and she could start saving up again for the trip out of town. That might be easier then trying to leave right away and survive on the amount she had left. Kenneth could also enroll for summer school.

Life was more complicated now that she had a charge to take care of but she wouldn't have left Kenneth back there, not with his drunk and abusive father. Kenneth had too many bruises and accidents the first while she had known him. She took the boy away but his father was probably too scared to report a kidnapping, not with the way the robots scared him and the investigation the police might do.

Siri sighed. Life was never easy.

Now she was on the move with a little boy, a jaguar and two gigantic alien robotic beings. One of which, was going to be leaving them soon.

" Siri! Siri!"

She turned to see Kenneth running towards her, with Ravage loping behind him. She knew the metallic cat was deliberately losing. He was smiling and laughing but his eyes were too bright.

She held onto Soundwave by the handle and opened her arms out wide to avoid hitting Kenneth with the player. Kenneth didn't stop and ran into her, his tiny arms wrapping around her upper body and hiding his face in her chest. Ravage came to a stop in front of her.

" I won!" He said muffled.

She placed a hand on his head, smoothing his hair. " Yes, you did."

He was silent, but his shoulders were trembling faintly. She didn't push, nor ask what was the problem. She could guess.

" Does Prowl have to go?" Kenneth whispered. " Can't we leave? Before you go to see them? Can't we take Prowl and go like we always do?"

" Kenny." She said gently. " You know we can't do that. Prowl's been looking for his friends a long time."

" But why? Why does he have to leave us? We're his friends aren't we?" He looked up, his eyes desperate. " Aren't we enough?"

" It doesn't work like that." Siri tried to explain. " Prowl's been looking for them a long, long time. They're his family. His brothers."

His comrades. Autobots. They were like him, in ways Siri and Kenneth can never be. And shared beliefs in the way Soundwave couldn't.

Tears slowly spilled over bright blue eyes. " We can be his family. We are his family, aren't we?"

" Oh, Kenny." She said.

" Does he have to leave?" He asked again, petulant.

She sighed and handing Soundwave to Ravage to hold the handle in his jaws, she hugged him. " It's not like everyone's leaving. Soundwave and Ravage will be here. You'll have them and me."

He looked at her sadly. " And who will you have?"

She felt a pang, but did not let it show. She gathered him close and kissed him gently on the top of his soft hair. " I'll have you silly."

He hugged her tightly and let the tears flow. She rocked him gently.

" Oh, Primus, is he leaking _again?_" An annoyed voice came.


	3. Flare: Good Intentions

Author's Note: Action starts here in this chapter and I've put a requested spoiler warning on the summery. I hadn't had many people complain and I thought it was sort of plain it was post-movie, but that's okay. Let me know what else you readers prefer and I'll try my best to get it done.

* * *

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Three: Good Intentions

Kenneth perked up. " Rumble!" He said, drying his eyes with the back of his hands.

" Flesh ling." Rumble said, voice disgusted, " I thought I told you to fix those broken gears the last time you leaked."

He ran towards the small robot. Rumble was six and a half foot tall, a smaller humanoid version and Kenneth smiled at the robot when he pulled to a stop. " You're back!"

" Human's don't work like that, Rumble." Siri said.

" You flesh lings are weak and broken all the time." Rumble said pompously. " And you can't even fix it. Great."

" Where've you been, Rumble?" Kenneth asked brightly.

" I don't answer to _you_." Rumble shot back.

Kenneth giggled. " Did you have a good time?"

" Are you _listening_ to me, you primitive youngling?" Rumble demanded.

" Siri! Can I go play with Rumble?"

Gears turned and grinded against each other in Rumble in aggravation. Ravage gave scratchy electronic noises, which could pass for a laugh. Soundwave stayed silent.

Siri gave in; she reached for Soundwave and nodded. " Go play with Ravage and Rumble."

"_You_ don't tell me what to do!" Rumble told her.

" Rumble." Soundwave played.

Gears twisted again before Rumble became silent. The small Decepticon looked at Siri with dislike. Then he popped open his arm shield and took out a small stuffed brown envelope.

" Here." Rumble shoved at Siri. " Take it."

Kenneth climbed onto Ravage and gripped the cat's neck tightly. " Let's go Ravage! Catch us if you can, Rumble!"

" Of course I can you pathetic youngling!" Rumble shouted in the direction of the loping Ravage.

Siri opened the envelope and her eyes widened as she looked inside. There was at least five thousand dollars in the envelope. " Where did you"

She started to ask but when she looked up Rumble was already gone. Turning to the left Rumble was chasing after Ravage, the smaller humanoid Decepticon screaming after Kenneth in degradation. But the young boy just laughed and encouraged Ravage to run faster. Siri was just relieved that the Decepticon concept of swearing wasn't the same as Human's, Rumble often time reverting to blared static for words, which could not be translated to English.

She watched as Ravage shifted his paws into rollers and Rumble followed suit. The race was on. Kenneth hung on as tight as he could and taunted Rumble by thoroughly enjoying the race. Rumble wouldn't start shooting at him until an hour later. And then Ravage would speed up with twists and turns and hiding behind obstacles, sometimes shooting back.

The first few times Siri had almost had heart attacks but Soundwave said that Ravage wouldn't be caught and it kept up Rumble's skills at shooting, and Ravage's at evasion. She couldn't help worrying, but she couldn't stop them. It was just a very violent and dangerous game of tag with bullets and the occasional bomb involved. None of the Decepticons seem to think it was wrong, Prowl was prone to disapprove but even the Autobot didn't seem to worry much.

Life had gotten really weird since she had known the Cybertrons.

She gripped the envelope tightly. She knew it was really no use asking the Decepticon where the money had come from. They had different morals and ways of thinking than her or Prowl.

The Decepticons had located the files on Sam and the Autobots as well. Prowl had wanted to try going through legal channels but Siri hadn't wanted to show up on radar. It had looked like they would have to contact the authorities and hopefully get someone who believed them but Soundwave had started hacking into the network before Siri had even known it. In the end all she could say was he could do what he wished as long as they could remain undetected.

It had gotten the job done, they had retrieved the necessary files. Prowl had disapproved but what done was done. Prowl was one who insisted on following the rules but Siri and Kenneth weren't companions who could always afford to do so. Soundwave followed his own concept of rules that didn't agree with Prowl's.

She looked down at the money. She would keep it, because she didn't know here it had come from, and there was probably no way to return it. And they needed it.

The cassette player flew out of her hands into the air and gears shifted and whirled until Soundwave stood in front of her. He sat on the cement and she hoped that no one on the road noticed him.

" You were running out of the papers." Soundwave said. " I sent Rumble."

" Oh." Siri blinked. " Thank you."

" I do not understand," Soundwave replied, " why papers are so important."

" They're our currency. We trade these for resources." She explained again.

" But paper is so fragile."

She smiled. " And so are we humans, compared to you Cybertrons."

He stared at her. " I do not understand you flesh lings either."

She laughed. " Will you be okay? I have to go with Prowl to meet up with his friends."

Soundwave indicated where Rumble had appeared and some boxes were stacked. " Rumble brought parts. I will work on repairs."

Siri smiled. " Okay. You seem energetic enough today. Don't overwork yourself."

Soundwave turned away from her and she watched him head towards the boxes. She checked to make sure Rumble and Ravage was looking after Kenneth, sort of, and headed to stash the money in the warehouse before going to Prowl. The sun was going to set soon.

Prowl was waiting for her and as she walked towards him the door to the driver seat sprung open. She climbed in and the door closed itself. She leaned back on the seat and stared silently out the front window. She didn't grip the steering wheel and after a moment the seatbelt reach itself across her body and clicked into the holder, securing her.

" Let's go Prowl." She said.

The screen beeped but she didn't turned to read the words. Soon the ignition turned itself and the gear shifted. The engine rumbled and they moved down the open space onto the street. She was content to let Prowl drive.

The screen beeped several more times over intervals before she finally turned her head to read the text.

_Siri. _

" You know where to go." She said.

_I do. But what is wrong?_

She stared silently at the screen.

" Prowl." She finally said. " How long have you been alive?"

_Several millennia._

" So what's another century? Or half century."

_Siri?_

" You're not going to tell your friends about Soundwave." She said pensively.

They turned a corner; closing into town, Prowl slowed his speed.

_I will not lie to my brothers Siri._

" Then just don't tell them."

_They need to know._

She narrowed her eyes. " Soundwave is hurt. And you guys have been alive for many millennia. Fighting this war for maybe that long. And you're both still here."

_I will not lie to my brothers, Siri._

" So just don't tell them. For another century, or half-century. Just a lifetime." She said. " One lifetime: Kenneth's. And then afterwards you can blow each other up for all I care."

The seatbelt tightened on her, pushing her back into the cushions of the seat.

_You don't mean that._

They drove by patio where a bunch of high school girls were sitting and enjoying their mochas without a care in the world.

" I mean a lot of things." Siri said. " Soundwave means a lot to Kenneth. If the things you said are true, then your friends won't like Soundwave at all, and try to get rid of him."

_You shouldn't be so trusting of him._

" I'll trust who I want." She told Prowl as they passed the lake. " It's my life."

They pulled into the outlook and there was a Peterbuilt truck, a SR hummer, and Sam and Mikeala by a 2009 Camaro.

She pressed the button to free the seatbelt and the laptop screen beeped.

_He'll betray you one day._

She yanked the door opened. " He's not the one leaving us." She said sharply and walked out before Prowl could respond.

Sam smiled nervously as the blue Honda Accord pulled into the outlook. The girl he meet the night before stepped out in jeans and green v-neck shirt. He stuck out his hand as she walked up.

" Hey." He greeted.

She shook his hand." Hey Sam." She turned to Mikeala. " I'm Syri."

" Mikeala." Mikeala replied, shaking hands.

The blue Accord had followed Syri, the car moving without a driver, confirming it was an autonomous robotic life form.

" This is Prowl." Syri said, motioning to the blue Accord.

Suddenly the car shifted, gears turning, outer structure transforming, wheels and the car shell moving until it showed a large two-legged robotic form the size of Ratchet. Like it had been the signal they were waiting for, the other Autobots shifted and transformed into their humanoid forms. Optimus Prime stood from the freight truck, the SR hummer was Ratchet, and Bumblebee stood where the Camaro had been before.

" Prowl, our brother." Ratchet said happily.

" I'm glad to see you." Optimus said.

" Op-mus Prime." Prowl greeted.

The new Autobot walked over to his fellow comrades and large metallic palms patted him in various places to welcome him back.

" You're communication unit is slightly defective. You've been injured." Ratchet diagnosed quickly.

Prowl nodded and tried to speak, but only static came with one in every five worlds he wished to say. " In-ry...landing...Sea-ri...pro-ts...fight."

" Sigh-ri." Syri murmured.

" So that's your car." Sam said in comradeship.

She smiled at him. " That's Prowl."

Sam walked quickly up to the yellow transformed Camaro. " This is Bumblebee." He said hurriedly, placing a hand on the outer shell on the leg. " He's my car."

Mikeala rolled her eyes. " This isn't a competition."

"_ You can't win them all - how I loved your peaceful eyes on me._" Bumblebee blared.

" So he uses the radio." Syri said, blinking.

" Uh, doesn't Prowl?" Sam asked, confused.

Syri shook her head. " No, Prowl has a laptop that he types on."

" A laptop?" Sam squeaked. Then thought about how much more specific and clear that could be rather then partial phrases from the radio. But laptops were expensive.

Seeing Sam's confused frown Syri elaborated. " Originally Prowl was a police cruiser. But I told him it was attracting too much attention for a civilian to be driving one around. He switch over to a different model but he keeps the laptop."

" Oh." Mikeala nodded. " Makes sense, especially a young girl."

Ratchet had his laser light beamed at Prowl's throat and the Autobot coughed as sparks flew. Ratchet continued his modification, listening to the static and gibberish emitting from Prowl's communication unit until he was satisfied.

" Or-t...Op-timus Prime. My Brothers. I'm glad to see you." Prowl finally said in a normal continuous frame.

Ratchet nodded. " There, fixed. Your parts are a bit damaged as well but nothing we can't save for later."

Optimus Prime smiled. " Welcome, Prowl."

**Meanwhile**

Ironhide pulled off the highway and into the street headed into town. William Lennox sat in the driver seat, whistling and listening to the radio. They were headed to meet with Sam and Optimus. Apparently Sam had encountered another Autobot. Will wanted to confirm this himself before reporting it to the Pentagon. Epps was informed and waited for a confirmation call from Will after he met the new addition. Then the radio shut off.

" Hey! I was listening to that." The Captain complained.

" Quiet." Ironhide spoke from the speaker. " I sense a life form."

" Um, hate to break it to you big guy." Will said, looking around the street they were cruising, a row of houses on one end and an empty lot of warehouses in the other. " We're close to town. People _live_ here. And travel."

Ironhide rumbled disgruntled. " I know that. I sense an autonomous robotic organism." Idiot, was unsaid.

" What?" Will asked, confused at the term. " Wait. You mean, one of you guys?"

" A Cybertron, yes." Ironhide replied.

" Could it be the new one Sam was talking about, the one we're supposed to meet?" William mused.

" They should be at the outlook by now. The sun's almost totally set. We're the ones who are late." Ironhide said pointedly.

" Hey. Not my fault Annabelle wanted her Daddy." Will protested.

" You're sparkling is demanding." Ironhide said, pulling off to the entrance of the empty lot to investigate.

" Babies are. But then they grow up so fast, and soon they'll start complaining you're always in the way. So you have to seize your chance while its still here." Will said wistfully.

" Quiet now, I sense movement." Ironhide commanded.

They cruised slowly and silently through the empty lot, driving in-between the buildings and behind various walls for cover. They moved around for a long time and Will was about to question if the presence was still within range when suddenly a small elementary school boy, blonde haired and blue eyed, burst from the side wall of a warehouse. He was running with all his might, breathing labored, and body covered with sweat.

Lennox's heart stopped as he watched a large metallic jaguar that could easily come up to his bicep chasing after the young boy.

" Ravage." Ironhide identified. " A Decepticon."

The jaguar blared static and jumped into the air, the boy ducked and rolled to the side, then scrambling to his feet, but the jaguar followed him intently. Will quickly twisted and reached for his weapons case in the back seat, starting to load the 40mm sabot rounds. He always carried them around now, in case of emergencies that had seemed ridiculous but now he was thankful for his irrational paranoia.

" Will." Ironhide said sharply.

" I'm on it!" Lennox called. " Go, go!"

Ironhide dispense with recon and floored the acceleration. The engine sounded loudly in the quiet, the boy and the jaguar both turned to their direction. The jaguar recognized the presence of an Autobot and snarled, loping to the side. Ironhide followed the path of the robot feline but then bullets rained down on him.

" What the!" Lennox cried, ducking his head as Ironhide pulled a U-turn and hid behind a wall.

" There is another one." A tall purple humanoid robotic ran out into the open and shot in their direction. " It's Rumble."

Will finished loading and got ready to jump out of the car. " Contact Optimus and the others."

" Already on it." Ironhide said, sending his call on the Autobot frequency. _Decepticons detected on warehouse lot on the outskirts of town. Direction northeast from the outlook. Engaged in combat with Rumble and Ravage. _

Ironhide pushed on the acceleration and zoomed towards the purple Decepticon. Lennox yanked the door handle and rolled out of the trunk, shooting rounds the whole time. The boy had run for cover and was currently hiding behind a wall on Lennox's left. The Captain ran in the direction of the boy but the jaguar spotted him and sprang into his path.

Will ducked out of the way, avoiding firing in the vicinity of the boy. He didn't want to injury the child by a stray bullet.

The electronic feline predator came after him and Lennox opened fire. He shot three bullets but the cat avoided them by jumping into the air and twisting. The shoulder pads of the jaguar shifted and two blaster guns came up into view.

" Shit!" Lennox called again and ducked behind some large metal containers. The bullets did not go through the empty oil drums but heated the metal considerably.

Rumble and Ironhide were playing a game of tag and mouse on the other side. Ironhide had shifted into robotic form as soon was Lennox had exited his interior. Rumble knew that the larger Cybertron had the advantage if they went into close combat and kept his distance. He jumped into the air and held both arms out as he landed on his palms, causing the earth to quake.

Everyone stumbled, not expecting the shake. The movement also alerted Soundwave of the fight. The large Decepticon exited the warehouse to see Rumble and the Autobot Ironhide exchanging bullets, and Ravage loping around to avoid the rounds shot by a flesh ling male. The flesh ling youngling was curled up in a far wall, crouched tight and trying to avoid stray bullets.

Soundwave quickly transformed his arm into a weapon and aiming at the most pertinent enemy, fired at Ironhide. The Autobot, not expecting the shot, was hit with the full power and stumbled. Soundwave fired again from the laser blaster but felt his internal energy draining too quickly. His batteries were leaking, and he hadn't been able to fix them. That was why he had to be constantly recharged.

Rumble sprayed bullets down on Optimus Prime's weapon specialist. Soundwave ran around to cage the Autobot. His laser blaster shifted to a bullet gun, putting less drain on his internal engine.

Gears shifted and turned, Soundwave felt his spark flare bright. This was the way it was, the way it had always been: Decepticon against Autobots, Autobots against Decepticons. It had been a long time since he had a decent fight. Prowl and he had a necessary cease-fire. Soundwave was too damaged, his batteries unable to support him in the long a run without constant recharge, and Prowl could easily take the Decepticon if he waited Soundwave out, but the flesh lings that had found them wouldn't allow the Autobot to do so.

Prowl was a prisoner of his own morals.

The two of them had gotten complacent, almost peaceful. Prowl watched Soundwave and Ravage, and Soundwave and Ravage watched Prowl for signs of attack. But the long days and nights had settled into a pattern they hadn't realized. The flesh lings were creatures of habit and they influenced the Cybertrons with it.

But soon, if this Autobot in front of him was an indication, Prowl would be with his comrades and the flesh lings would deal only with the Decepticons. They would keep the flesh lings around, simply because they had proved useful to them and the flesh lings seemed oddly attached, especially the youngling male.

" Damn it! There's another one!"

The vioce came from the ground level and Soundwave swept his perimeter to locate the older male flesh ling that had been shooting at Ravage. From the readings of escalated heart, body heat, and sweat covering his body the male flesh ling was very nervous.

Soundwave allowed his guns to rotate and aimed in the direction of the metal cans the flesh ling stood behind. He opened fire but before he could confirm a shot on the annoying male a large mass slammed into him on the side and he rolled with the momentum.

Ironhide landed on the Decepticon and punched him. He had seen Soundwave aiming at Lennox and had jumped at the other large Cybertron. Rumble paused in his shots, waiting for Soundwave to move from the line of target.

Heart pounding Will looked over to see that Ironhide and the other unidentified robot engage in a fistfight. He turned back to see the little boy crouched on his knee, ready to take off into a sprint.

" Get over here!" the Special Ops Captain shouted at the boy.

Wide blue eyes stared at him frightfully and the blonde boy shook his head. Will cursed. The boy might be too scared to come any closer to the fight, but he couldn't get the boy to safety if he wasn't going to move. Lennox took off into a run towards the boy.

He was closing in on the boy and was almost there. He saw fear, alarm, and panic on the little boy's face. The closer he got the clearer it became.

" No!" The boy burst and Lennox had no time to process it before the jaguar slammed into his side and they both rolled on the cement.

The little boy bolted from his spot, running as fast as his little legs could take him away from the fight. He ran towards a warehouse far in the west direction and looked back over his shoulder for one fearful moment, and his whole body froze.

The robotic jaguar had Lennox pinned after the large struggle of who would end on top from the roll. Heavy metal paws pressed down on his shoulders and claws extended to bite into the cloth as he struggled. Ravage snarled and shoulder gears began to shift once more to allow blaster guns out. But before the action could be completed Will managed to twist the guns underneath so that they were aimed up into the body of the feline at point blank distance, aimng for the spark compartment.

The boy screamed. **" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"**


	4. Flare: Chaos

As I am having some trouble with format, it was suggested I have posted the chapters on my LJ as well: (http// hiasobi. livejournal. com/). Feel free to review here, or there, and commensurate with fellow reviewers about the torture I'm putting the characters through.

This story is in constant revision and I'm still in search of the perfect summary for this, so don't be surprised if it keeps changing. If you've been reading since the beginning, you know I've been messing around with Sam's sanity. Its _so_ fun. It shows heavily in this chapter, a ton of flashbacks. So movie spoilage abound.

* * *

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Four: Chaos

**Pentagon**

At the National Military Command Centre, the Secretary of Defense John Keller sat behind his desk reading over the reports and still dealing with the damage caused by the battle in Mission City. Sector Seven was disbanded but the Agents needed to be delegated into different sectors for better use. The remains of the Decepticons had been dumped into the Larentian Abyss, but the recovery process was not totally secured. There were still bits and pieces lying around, not helped by the fact that the city was a mess and it couldn't be distinguished easily what was from space and what was normal debris.

A curt knock sounded at the door.

Keller placed the folder down and looked up. " Come in."

The door opened briskly. " Mr. Secretary." General Kane Maddox stepped into the office with a briefcase. He closed and locked door behind him.

" General." Keller greeted. " How can I help you?"

" I have something you have to see sir." Maddox replied.

Keller took a breath and let it out softly. Work never seemed to end these days. " Show it to me."

Maddox walked up to the table, flipped the briefcase open and took out the laptop. Ignoring the file that was placed below the portable computer, he booted up the screen. " This was brought to my attention just an hour ago. It's a security tape from an office building in Las Vegas, around 1:00 hours this morning."

Maddox turned the screen to face the Secretary of Defense and saw the lines of the old veteran's face grow tight. They both recognized the significance of the video. They watched an empty street with an ambiguous shadow of an object off-screen shift and grow until it showed the presence of an elongate shadow standing on two feet with various sharp corners like metal plates attached down the sides. A few seconds of stillness until the flash of a metal fist, which moved across the bottom of the screen, the shadow indicating a punch, and then the video went static.

Maddox paused the program. " As far we can tell, it wasn't any of the known Autobots. Nor was the form large enough to be an identified Decepticon."

" We have an unknown NBE loose on the population." Keller said. He sat pensively, staring down at the files on his desk. " What other information do we have?"

" The Autobots have not contacted us to report new additions to their numbers, so by that analysis, this is most probably a Decepticon." Maddox replied.

" Lovely. Damage reports?"

" Strangely, none. Neither were there any reports of attacks by an unknown robotic life form." Maddox said.

Keller reached out and played the video, consisting of 1:23 minutes in total. " What did it want?" He asked himself, watching the video again.

Maddox pulled out the file and opened the folder. He slid the report in front of the Secretary of Defense. " It sent an electromagnetic pulse that shut down all electrical networks and disrupted the area within a half mile radius for 5 minutes. When functions were restored it had dropped off radar."

" Current situation?"

" We're trying to track it, but we have no trail. It's cold."

Keller pursed his lips. " Thank you, General. That will be all."

" Yes. Mr. Secretary." Maddox understood he was dismissed and gathered his briefcase and laptop, leaving the file for Keller on the desk.

Keller watched the General leave the office, waited until the door was firmly shut, and turned to press the buzz button of his intercom to his executive assistant.

" Yes, Mr. Secretary?" his assistant asked over the secure line.

He pressed on the button and leaned into the speaker. " Get me the contact information for Samuel James Witwicky and Special Operations Captain William Lennox."

" Yes sir. I'll be in shortly with the files."

Keller leaned back into the chair and waited.

**Tranquility**

The call had come right when the sun was in its last rays. It blared out over the Autobot frequency set by Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Bumblebee.

The reunited brothers were commiserating and Prowl was asking for the real account of what had happened a few months ago. Prowl was surprised and exuberant when Bumblebee spoke, with his real voice instead of the stereo. The damage sustained from a battle with Megatron to protect the AllSpark back on their home planet had been severe. It had been a many thousands of years since Bumblebee had spoke

Prowl's own vocal processor had been impaired when he had crash-landed on the planet about a year ago. But a single year or two was almost nothing to beings of the Cybertron's lifetimes.

Sam sat with the girls and tried not to pay too much attention on the conversation going several meters above his head, instead he tried his best to start a conversation with Mikaela and Syri that somehow didn't include lamenting about the male gender and yet still include him.

" So Prowl doesn't play random songs from the radio huh?" Sam said forcefully.

" Not really." Syri replied. " Sometimes, I guess, when he really wanted to get my attention. But mostly he communicated through the laptop. I didn't make a habit of annoying him."

" Well, I guess it's a lot less annoying and cryptic." Sam said.

" Or embarrassing." Mikaela added.

" Embarrassing?" Syri asked.

" Well, Bee has this habit..." Sam started.

" You know you go to see the movies, and when ever there's a moment, dramatic, romantic, whatever, with background music in it? Well, Bee likes to supply the music." Mikaela explain.

Bumblebee who had tuned in on his name, interrupted with the stereo. " _Everybody needs to have some fun._"

" We know Bee." Sam said, smiling and reaching over to pat Bumblebee's ankle. " It's what makes you, you anyhow. It wouldn't be the same without it."

" The AllSpark was found?" Prowl confirmed. " And Megatron?"

" The AllSpark was found, but is now ineffective." Optimus Prime told the brother. " Megatron tried to take possession of it, but he was defeated."

-Running, running, running. Can't let them have it. Have to protect it. Why him? Why him? Megatron closing in, above/around/below. Plummeting, plummeting, into Optimus' hand. Put the cube in the spark. The AllSpark in the Spark. The AllSpark in Megatron's dying Spark-

" So glad I'm not the only one with a random alien car now." Sam said smiling stiffly.

" And I'm not the only kick ass girl any more." Mikaela added.

Syri let her eyes droop. " So the Decepticons..."

" Are all gone now." Mikaela repeated. " You missed quite a battle."

-The cube in his arms, the flare gripped in his hand. Ironhide and Ratchet covering him above, behind, and in front. The high whistle of a jet and a tank firing. Everyone screaming, scrambling, hurting, and Bumblebee behind him _without his legs_ and Sam had _left him there_-

Sam felt sick, he pushed down the thought of nausea, it would pass. All things passed.

-Megatron was dead, dead. He wasn't getting up, the light going out of his eyes, and the pain in Optimus Prime's. Prime called him brother, _brother_. Sam had killed his-

Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Mikaela continued on without noticing. " It's better for you though. It was...one heck of a ride."

" Mission City?" Syri questioned, thinking back on the news.

" Yeah, the city's a mess still probably. They had to relocate a lot of the population."

-Statues falling down, vehicles overturned, people screaming, dying, falling like him, like him. Where was the cube? The AllSpark? If he died, would it give him life? Push it into Megatron's chest, give Prime life, but it took his brother's-

Sam slid away from the girls and huddled at Bumblebee's foot.

" A lot of the buildings were damaged."

-A Decepticon, an Autobot, Optimus Prime, Megatron, all crashing into the buildings, crushing the pavement. His arms hurt, his face hurt, his whole body hurt. He didn't want to move. Was Megatron moving? Was he moving? Did he have to kill him again? Was he going to get kill?-

" But it's better now."

Sam pressed himself into Bee's leg. Bee would make it okay, he always did.

-Bee spoke! Bee spoke! He was okay! 'I wish to stay with the boy.' Bee wanted to stay with him. With him, he wasn't a failure. It was worth it. Sam was dirty, tainted, but still worthy. Bee wanted him-

" The city repair is going pretty well." Mikaela said. " There's a lot of charities and organizations helping."

Sam snapped out of his thoughts and focused on the present conversation. He really had to stop that. He had told himself he wasn't going to think about what had happened in Mission City. It was over, done. He just wanted to get on with his life.

A touch of cold metal on his head, firm, but not hurting. He looked up at see Bumblebee staring down at him. He smiled.

" I'm good big guy." He said. " I just can't get a word in edgewise with the girls."

" _If we had, just a minute longer than this._" A female voice sang out from the radio.

The girls turned at the sudden music but before any conversation could start the Autobots' radio sounded.

_Decepticons detected on warehouse lot on the outskirts of town. _Ironhide's voice came. _Direction northeast from the outlook. Engaged in combat with Rumble and Ravage. _

For one fleeting moment Siri had let herself hope that it was another warehouse, another lot, that it couldn't have been such a bad coincidence. But then the voice mentioned the names and Siri knew, and her heart jerked.

She jumped to her feet as the Autobots looked to Optimus Prime for orders and Mikaela ran towards Bumblebee and Sam. She took off running out to the street, not waiting for them.

" Prowl!" She shouted but didn't look back or wait.

The Autobots began to transform to their car modes, at the shout Sam and Mikaela turned to look at her. Prowl, who was still in robotic form, took a running step and launched in Siri's direction, shifting in midair and landing on four wheels. He drove up beside the sprinting girl and popped open the driver door when they were on alongside. Without pausing Siri ran diagonal to the moving car and jumped into the seat with her momentum. The door closed behind her and the blue Honda continued to race out to join traffic.

Sam gawked. " That was-whoa! Did you see"

Bumblebee shifted into his Camaro form and quickly opened the yellow doors. Mikeala ran for the passenger side. " Sam, come on!"

Sam quickly got in and the rest of the Autobots followed Prowl's direction.

Heart pounding Siri gripped the steering wheel tightly. It was bad. This was so bad. Why did it have to happen now, of all times? She almost convinced Prowl to keep them a secret, but now it was out of the bag and god, all the Autobots was driving behind them. She was bringing them to the very ones she wanted to hide them from.

Life sucked. She started to get angry. She never got any breaks and neither did Kenneth. Nothing had better happened to the blonde boy or she wouldn't know what she might do. She pressed down on the accelerator and Prowl dutifully went faster. The large Peterbilt truck was almost on par with them, catching up and closing in on the distance. Optimus was the leader, the strongest, and so followed the fastest. But she needed to get there first, before any of them.

Soundwave was injured, he couldn't store up large amounts of energy. Rumble and Ravage were smaller than all of the other Cybertrons she had seen. And the one they told her was missing was Ironhide, their _weapons specialist_. Which was another way to say trigger-happy maniac with all the destructive weapons he wanted on hand.

" Come on Prowl." She urged.

They zoomed down the open road with no regard to speed limit. Luckily there was barely any traffic and no cops on the road. It was the end of the workday blending into night, the slow time. The lot was soon in view and she saw two large forms rolling on the ground that could only be Ironhide and Soundwave. They entered the lot seconds before the other Autobots.

Siri dashed out of Prowl and the blue Honda shifted into robotic mode. Ironhide and Soundwave were punching each other with their fists, sending sparks flying. She couldn't expect Prowl to help Soundwave, but Rumble had shifted his gun from the tangle of Ironhide and Soundwave to aim at Prowl. The two large Cybertrons were engrossed in each other and there was nothing she could do to help anyways. The fight looked about even as long as no other party joined in, which was fine by her.

What caught her attention was that there was also a tall, muscular man with a gun, currently running towards Kenneth. That was bad. Kenneth was scared of men because his father abused him. Siri took off at a run but Ravage got there first and slammed into the man before he got to Kenneth.

Kenneth sprinted away and Siri followed his path with her eyes to see he was headed towards the warehouse and didn't bother calling out to him. She was going to adjust her target path to meet up with Kenneth but then they both looked back to Ravage and the man at the same time. Kenneth froze but Siri sprinted harder and as Kenneth screamed she smashed into Ravage and pushed them both out of the way before the bullets went off.

The man was cursing. She gave a thankful thought that Kenneth was out of ear shot as she landed on her side, bearing the pain. Ravage, the feline he was, landed on his paws. As the man stood, getting ready to aim his long sniper looking gun, she got up, placing herself between the two of them.

Lennox couldn't believe that the girl put her back to the jaguar. She stood shakily up and she didn't seem aware that the metallic predator was behind her, ready to leap. He had to aim around her and hope he got the jaguar before it got her.

" Move!" He commanded, hooking the butt of the gun to his shoulder.

" Stop!" She cried.

He wasn't aiming for her but he needed her to move. She was in the path of the bullet. He needed her to move to the side or duck but then a smaller blonde projectile smashed into the girl's side and they both pitched to the right. Lennox took the opportunity to fire but the cat jumped out of the way. Lennox rolled between the alien predator and the two civilians.

Out of the corner of his view he saw the bright red that was Optimus followed by the rest of the Autobots as they stood up. Lennox was relieved, back up had arrived. Bullets sprayed the air in the direction of the robotic life forms and while the jaguar was distracted he pulled out his cell phone and pushed the quick dial.

Sounds of metal crashing into metal, scarping along the cement, and Epps picked up on the other end. " Captain?"

" Outskirts of Tranquility in a warehouse lot. We've discovered more Decepticons. I'll need a medical unit on route for possible injuries."

" Stop it!" He heard the girl call from behind him; he didn't have time to check. He kept his eyes on the jaguar as it circled him. His finger tightened on the trigger but didn't pull it back.

" Sam! Mikaela!" The girl shouted.

" What's going on?" The little boy asked.

" I thought this was a friendly?" Epps demanded over the line.

" That has to be another one. I'm in the middle of a battle. I'll need you to send transport to take a girl and a boy" The jaguar leaped and Lennox ducked. It caught the cell phone and crushed the electronic in its jaws.

Lennox fired, the sabot bullet adding another heat scrape on the exterior of the cat. He pulled the trigger once more but the sound of empty rounds met his ears. He didn't have time to reload before the robotic cat had him pinned once more, and this time it didn't bother with the blaster guns.

" Don't hurt him, Ravage!" The girl screamed.

The feline paused with his jaws open around the Captain's throat and Lennox was still. Will swallowed. The cat snarled and vocalized with static and beeps mixed in.

" Throw your gun away." The little boy said tremblingly.

Will complied throwing the empty rifle to the side. Safety first, think about facts later. Something large and black flew in the air and smashed into the side of a warehouse. The Autobots stood where the object had come from.

" NO!" the girl cried.

Lennox used this distraction to kick the cat off him and got back to his feet. Sam and Mikaela were running over but the boy and girl, along with the jaguar, were headed towards the collapsed warehouse. The three of them raced after the two.

Sam could hear his heart beat. The adrenaline, the scenery, the upturned cement, falling bullets, and the Special Ops Captain running beside him were bringing it back, that day in Mission city and the events that lead up to and around it. Once again there was pain and destruction, and Sam had thought this was _over_: Mikaela running beside him, both of them frantic and clueless, two teenagers caught up in a war not of their own, a battle they were not suited for, and the guilt of involving Mikaela when he shouldn't have. She didn't have a family past intertwined. In the end, it had been down to him. His great-great-grandfather had woken Megatron, and it had been up to him to send him back. Mikeala hadn't been there to see him shove that alien cube into Megatron's chest and end his life.

Syri and the little boy were dirty, cut up, and desperate. They were running towards the fight like they would never get there in time and Sam saw his own face as he ran with the AllSpark reflected in the hopelessness. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong about this situation.

They shouldn't be running _to_ the fight. But they were and Sam was following them because he felt something inside of him, which had become fragile and brittle over the past months, shake.

He had watched Optimus fight, had seen him go head to head with Megatron when no one else could. He'd just seen him throw this new Decepticon off Ironhide and avoid the missiles sent by the smaller purple robot. He had seen Optimus fall and get beaten into the ground by Megatron. He watched as Prime kicked this black metallic Decepticon off and using the momentum, threw the large robot into the old warehouse.

He watched as the light of the Decepticon's body become dimmer. He felt horror rising up from inside him.

" STOP IT!" Syri screamed trying to reach the Decepticon before the Autobots.

The jaguar jumped out in front of the large Decepticon, who tried to get up but couldn't, and the purple smaller robot came to stand beside the cat. Ironhide and Bumblebee shifted to blaster cannons and aimed.

_No. No, no, no. _Sam thought hopelessly.

Syri stumbled, it was a sickening moment, her foot landed wrong, and Sam lurched forward to grab hold of her. They both tumbled horribly and scrapped themselves in various places. The little boy overtook them followed by Lennox, Mikaela stopped to look back at them to the boy. Finally she raced for the little boy. Cut palms and arms rubbed against each other as they messily tried to get up and fell again. He could feel the sensitive skin of his palms tear open so easily. Her knee was a mess and his shoulder felt dislocated. Her blood dripped on him and his blood dripped to her. It burned increasingly but finally when they were stable on their feet, Sam ran with Syri, their hands clasped as he pulled her smaller frame along.

" No! No! No!" The boy shouted as he neared where the Autobots stood over the Decepticon.

They watched as he ran right past the jaguar and purple robot like they were not there but the smaller Decepticons aimed at Lennox when he tried to follow the boy.

" Youngling!" Ratchet said worriedly but the boy ignored him.

Instead they watched as the little kid run past debris and climb up on the fallen walls until he found a perch to move over onto the Decepticon's body. From there he ran up the abdomen with tiny feet and fell to lie over the chest plate.

" Stop it!" the boy screamed. " Stop hurting him!"

" Youngling, this isn't what you think." Ironhide said sternly. " He's a Decepticon."

" Come back here. Quickly." Ratchet said. " He's going to hurt you."

" You're hurting him." The child said wretched, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. " He's going to _die._"

Sam pulled to a stop with Syri in the silence. He clenched their hands together so tight droplets of blood trickled down, but neither of them paid attention. The Decepticon's eyes were muted; he tilted his helmeted head to look at the boy lying protectively over his chest plate, over his Spark, and did nothing.

The jaguar and the purple robot also made no threatening move towards the young boy. Instead, they seemed to be standing protective between both of them and the rest. Sam felt it rising in him, fast and furious.

-Megatron's eye, the light fading then going out. Optimus holding the broken pieces of Jazz's body. Bonecrusher and Blackout's remains being dragged away by the military. Bright yellow feet dug out from beneath debris. Bumblebee hooked securely onto a tow truck but flickering offline. The AllSpark in Megatron's dying Spark. Firing racing up into Megatron's chest and down his arms killing Prime's brother-

" Decepticons have to be terminated." Ironhide said harshly.

" Stop it." Syri murmured and looked so desperate. " Stop it."

" Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!!!" Sam yelled, his voice cutting through all the noise.


	5. Flare: Beliefs

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Five: Beliefs

Everyone paused and looked at him. He must have looked a sight, because everyone seemed stunned. He heard the world roaring in his ears and his vision blackened for a moment. His strength gave slightly, body leaning forward, and Lennox caught him. He blinked and tightened his grip on Syri's hand once more; it kept him grounded in reality.

" Look, he's uh, down." Sam said weakly. " He lost. You won. Can't we just call it a day?"

" You don't want to leave Decepticons to fight another day." Ironhide said solemnly, arm cannon flickering.

The boy whimpered and scrunched up closer on the chest plate. Bumblebee elbowed the weapons specialist for his insensitivity.

" He's a enemy." Bumblebee said. " He will come back to destroy us if he has the chance. There are many more Decepticons then there are Autobots."

" We need to terminate them when we have the chance." Ironhide added.

" It is for the protection of the planet and your people." Optimus said softly.

-'You left me no choice brother.' Optimus said almost brokenly and the leader of the Autobots looked like he would have cried if he could-

" But" Sam responded.

" Besides," Ratchet injected, " his energon storage is damaged, his gears are impaired, there is internal leaking, soon he will go offline automatically. It might be more kind at this point."

" No!" The little boy cried in despair.

" Jesus." Lennox muttered. " A mercy kill?"

" But he's." Sam swallowed. " So he's broken, and alone."

" Very alone." Syri said softly.

Sam turned to her confused but the look in her eyes was clear. It hit him hard like punch in the gut. He was the last, the last Decepticon they knew about. Starscream was recorded to have left the solar system and all the other Decepticons were dead, their remains dumped into the Larentian Abyss. They did not know how to contact any other of their race scattered across the galaxies. The jaguar and the purple robot didn't look like they would stay or have much purpose after the larger Decepticon was gone.

He was broken and very alone because they had killed off all his comrades. Sam took a shaky breath. Mikaela walked over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, which he leaned towards.

" Siri." Prowl spoke. " Soundwave will not last much longer. You should say your partings."

The little boy let out a heart-wrenching wail. " No! Soundwave, don't go! Don't go!"

" Shut your noise, flesh ling!" Rumble retorted sharply. " If you don't, I'll shut it for you."

Ironhide aimed his cannons. " Watch what you say, Rumble. You're lucky you even have someone grieving for you."

" Hey, guys!" Mikaela yelled angrily. " Stop it!"

Syri and Sam watched as the light of Soundwave's Spark dimmed a bit more. Syri let go of Sam's hand, pulling the two blood sticky palms apart. The tiny Asian girl stuck her chin up and took a firm stance.

" He's not going to grieve." She said clearly. Her voice was crisp and drew attention her way. She walked up to the yellow Autobot that was a medical officer. " Because you're going to fix him."

There was a pause.

" He is my enemy." Ratchet said.

" He's _hurt_." She replied. " You're a medical officer. Didn't you swear an oath to heal all those who need it, be they enemy or friend? You're a healer, and in the end, they are all patients."

" An interesting concept." Ratchet mused. " That is the oath earthling healers swear?"

" Yes." She said firmly.

" It's the ideal." Lennox spoke from behind her. " It's not always carried out but...that's the oath you swear."

" It is different from what we have done." Ratchet said. " Our medical officers are soldiers trained to heal, not a healers trained to fight."

" Help him." Syri demanded.

" We need a good reason why." Ironhide said.

" For all that's holy-!" She snapped. " Did you not say that the AllSpark was gone? That the AllSpark was what give you life but now new life can't be made, doesn't that mean you're the last?" She demanded turning to Optimus Prime. He was the leader; she had to bet everything on convincing him. " That means each and every one of you, spread out across the galaxies, are the one and only. You are the last of your species and the life you have is all there is. Each one that dies is an extinction of your species. If no new life can be made, doesn't that make the life you have all that much more important? That each and every Spark means something. Decepticon. Autobot. Aren't you all just Cybertron in the end? **Doesn't every being deserve the freedom to live?**" She held her breath, willing the Autobot to understand.

There was silence.

It was broken by Soundwave's raspy vocal processors in his imitation of a laugh, " That is why Prowl will not leave you, flesh ling. You sound too much like his leader."

She blinked then turned to see the largest Autobot watching her silently.

" You share his ideals." Soundwave continued. " And you might understand them better than they do."

Rumble laughed and Ravage joined in. She stood uncertain, the rest of the humans had as much idea as her, but the Autobots were silent and very pensive. Especially Optimus Prime.

" Well, I believe in second chances as well." She added and watched the largest robotic life form.

" Yes." Optimus Prime finally said. " You're species constantly astounds me, there is much more to you than meets the eye."

" Uh, thanks?" she said. " Are you going to help Soundwave?"

" Ratchet." Optimus Prime called.

The yellow robot put up no protest this time and quickly shot a beam to various parts of the damaged Cybertron. Ravage and Rumble stepped away but kept careful eyes on the large Autobot. Kenneth wiped away the remnants of his tears and sat up on a chest plate, watching Ratchet perform his diagnosis curiously.

" We'll need a place for me to work." Ratchet said. " I'll need help moving him and an area with light and space enough for him to spread out on."

" The warehouse." Siri answered promptly, pointing to one far in the west. " We've been staying there."

" Fine. Ironhide, Prowl, help me transport him." Ratchet commanded with all the authority of one who was obeyed under such conditions.

Optimus stepped up front and extended a hand out to Kenneth. " We will need to move him, little one."

Kenneth turned around to stare at Soundwave, and in the darkness of the night the light of his Spark was seen to be stronger. Hope always gave strength. Kenneth nodded and climbed onto Prime's hand. Ratchet put Soundwave into stasis mode, the equivalent of unconsciousness, as Ironhide and Prowl moved him. Rumble and Ravage were leading the way. They would also stay close during the repairs to make sure everything went on well.

Everyone followed until the four large robots disappeared into the warehouse, Prowl and Ironhide awkwardly maneuvering with the immobile Soundwave. Ratchet stood behind them and helped direct them the best he could. Siri walked in and watched as they settled Soundwave on the floor in the back. She grabbed her sparse belongings on the ground and ran over.

She hooked her overly stuffed side bag over her shoulder and riffled through a plastic bag, she had a pack of DD batteries left that might help. She took the box out and looked up to see Ratchet bent on one knee staring at her.

" Here." She said, thrusting the box out. " He might need them."

He took the box solemnly but did not get up. " You might want to wait outside." He told her gently. " I'll need space to work."

" But..." Ravage and Rumble were staying.

" You might distract me."

" Oh." She said. " Right." Hospitals didn't allow non-personnel in the operating rooms, and she was so small she might get underfoot, literally. She bit her lip. " Right. I'll be outside then." She started walking backwards. " Take care of him please. He's-he's important to us."

Ratchet nodded. " I will."

She turned and walked out of the warehouse to see the large red Autobot gently placed his hand on the ground and Kenneth scrambled off. He ran to her and she opened her arms for him.

" Siri, Siri." He chattered. " Are they going to fix him? They're going to fix Soundwave right? They're not going to hurt him anymore?"

She smoothed a hand down his locks and tried to calm him. " Yes, Kenneth, they're going to help him."

" Sea-ri?" Mikaela repeated.

" Her name." Prowl answered.

" I see." Optimus Prime said.

He probably did. She was unnerved by the way the largest Autobot stared intently down at her.

" The boy is Kenneth." Prowl added.

" Why were they hurting him before?" Kenneth asked nervously.

" It was a misunderstanding." She said, running her fingers through short silky blonde strands. " They didn't mean it."

Ironhide scoffed as he came to close the entrance and Siri shot him the weapons specialist a hard look over Kenneth's head. Sam smiled nervously and Mikaela rolled her eyes.

" Don't mind him." The other girl said. " He just doesn't want to admit he was wrong."

" Can we go see him?" Kenneth asked, bright blue eyes expectant.

Sam coughed, remembering the multiple times he and Mikaela had been kicked out of the make-shift infirmary for the Cybertrons after Mission City as Ratchet worked on Bumblebee.

" Maybe later." Sam said. " Otherwise you might just end up delaying Ratchet. And he gets annoyed."

Mikaela coughed, also remembering. " Yeah. Best to wait a bit."

Kenneth visibly drooped. Lennox bent down to look at the boy in matching eye level. Kenneth burrowed closer to Siri.

" Hey." Will said softly. " Didn't mean to scare you before."

Kenneth nodded shyly in Siri's arms.

" The big guy will be okay." Will reassured. " Ratchets the best robotic doctor I know."

" He's the only robotic doctor we know." Sam muttered, and got elbowed by Mikaela.

He bent over holding onto his abdomen, pain racing up his body. He gasped and everyone converged around him.

" Are you okay?" Mikaela asked worried. " I didn't hit you that hard did I?"

He stuck out a hand and waved it in the air. " I'm okay." He wheezed. " Just scrapes, you know how they hurt more than anything else." He unbent and stood tall. " I'm fine."

" You look like a mess." Lennox said, then glanced at Siri. " So do you. You two need to get cleaned up and bandaged before those cuts get infected."

" I'm fine." Sam protested.

" All of our stuff is in the warehouse." Siri replied. " Should I go in there to get our supplies? Would I interrupt the operation?"

They thought about it for a moment.

" Sam," Mikaela said, " maybe you should take them to your place. You should get a change of clothes anyways."

Sam and Siri's clothes were liberal spattered with dirt, pebbles, blood, and ripped at various places. Kenneth, the little boy he was, ignored the state Siri was in and nuzzled closer.

" Good idea." Lennox agreed. " Also I was cut off in my call with Epps. It might be better if your two weren't here when others show up soon." He looked at Siri and Kenneth.

" Right. They don't know you guys yet." Mikaela said. " But they know Sam and me. It might be best if you're not here when the authorities come."

Siri tightened her hold on Kenneth. She didn't want to deal with the police or social workers. They needed to get out of there before they showed up. " Right. Where should we go?"

Lennox stared at Sam, who blinked then stepped forward. " My house sounds fine. My parents should be home but um, hey what do I tell my parents?"

" You fell." Mikaela answered promptly. " That's the truth. And you need to get cleaned up."

" Right, perfect." Sam said. " Um, hey, if we say you're Mikaela's friend, and that you were locked out of your house or something, you might be able to stay over in the guest room." He offered to Siri and Kenneth as he noticed the boy was starting to drift off.

" Great!" Lennox said. " That would solve most of our problems, and we would know where to find you guys when things are over."

" Okay, Let's get going." Mikaela told them.

" But what about Prowl?" Siri questioned.

" He can stay, he should stay." Lennox corrected. " We were contacted that a new Autobot was found, so Prowl should be present. Soundwave and Ravage are new additions that we unexpectedly encountered."

" They're with Prowl." Kenneth said helpfully.

Will reached out a hand towards him and Kenneth flinched back instinctively. Lennox paused for a split second before continuing to reach out and ruffle the boy's hair comfortingly. After a second Kenneth relaxed.

Will pulled back and turned to look at all the teenagers. " The rest of you should get going."

Sam turned to Bumblebee who bent down and changed into a new model yellow Camaro. Mikaela ran to the passenger side and got in.

" I'm okay." Kenneth protest. " I'm not hurt. I don't have to go."

" Kenneth." Siri said.

" I'm not going to leave him!" Kenneth cried desperately.

Siri pulled him into a fierce hug, kissing the top of his head. Sam froze at the driver door.

-Bumblebee crawling towards him in the torn up cement, legs without shins dragging behind him, 'I'm not going to leave you.' He said broken-

Sam swallowed, hard. " You guys can ride in the back. I'll just-"

" No, Sam." Optimus said bending down. " I'll take them and follow Bumblebee."

Sam blinked, and forced his hand to let go of Bee's door. Mikaela stuck her head out the window and looked at Optimus. Lennox moved his eyes from the robot to the children. The Autobot leader shifted into a Peterbilt 379 truck with a blue-red fire paint job. Sam sat down in the Camaro and watched as Optimus drove up to Siri and Kenneth. The driver door opened on its own and Siri just stared at the offered seat silently for a moment before a determined gleam came into her eyes.

" Up you go Kenneth." Siri said, placing her hands around Kenneth's waist and tried to lift him to the steps.

The boy was up to her shoulders, a bit large for her own support and Lennox walked over to help. The little boy tensed under the touch of the Captain's hands, but Will ignored it, tucked his hands under Kenneth's armpits and lifted him up straight into the cabin. Siri followed, holding onto the door handle for support and jumped up to the metal steps leading to he cabin of the truck. Lennox placed a guiding hand on her back and pushed her into the seat.

" Thanks." Siri said.

"No problem." He replied stepping back, Optimus closed and locked the door. He looked around to see Mikaela and Sam strapped in. " Move out!"

Bumblebee and Optimus both started their engines. Bumblebee drove out first, followed by Optimus. Inside the Camaro Sam placed his cut hands on his lap, allowing Bee to drive himself. His palms were too sore to hold onto the steering wheel. Inside the Perterbilt truck Siri was strapping the middle seatbelt around Kenneth's waist before pulling on her own.

" Soundwave's going to be fine." She said to Kenneth's worried looking face.

His lower lip stuck out and trembled, his blue eyes bright, but he made an effort to not cry again. " Siri, can you sing a song?"

She blinked. Late at night when the Cybertrons were resting, she sang him lullabies and comfort songs when he wanted music but during the day they usually listened to the radio through Soundwave.

" I'm pretty sure there's a radio in here." She looked to the sound system in the middle. " Here, we'll just turn it on."

" No!" Kenneth protested. " I want you to sing Siri, I want to hear Siri sing."

A buzz of static as the radio turned itself on and the numbers moved as it looked for a suitable channel. "_ Phantom ships passing by - if you could feel the tenderness I feel - wipe away all of your tears._"

What happened next was unexpected. Kenneth jerked forward and smashed his palm onto the sound system. He repeated punched the dashboard and screamed. " Stop it! Stop it!"

The radio cut off abruptly. Siri looked stunned at the expression of rage on Kenneth's face as he glared at the radio.

" Kenny?" She asked softly.

" I don't need it." He said harshly. " I don't need anyone else except Soundwave and Siri. Ravage and Rumble. I don't need _you_." He kicked his legs up but they were too short to reach the front. He turned to punch the cabin seat.

Siri grabbed his failing hands. " Kenneth! Stop! That's rude! Apologize to Optimus!"

The silence was heavy and the only noise was Kenneth's labored breathing. Optimus Prime did not turn the radio back on and Kenneth did not apologize. Siri knew she should scold him but as angry as he looked at the moment, Kenneth also felt very fragile.

" I'm sorry." She said softly, and she wasn't sure whom she was addressing, maybe to all of them.

Kenneth was petulantly sulking until he turned to lie in her lap. " Sing a song, Siri." He pleaded.

They were silent as they drove by several streets. The sounds of the nightlife and the engines of others cars were muffled through the closed windows.

Slowly, softly, Siri began. _" The night time fills the sky, stars alive, goes floating by. So still the evening air, so warm and soft, peace everywhere. I see a world in harmony, a world of peace and humanity. Where people walk free, like water in a stream, flowing on forever more." _

The little boy calmed down over time as the quiet continued on.

_"The breezes softly flow, caressing warm, so sweet and lull. Upon my cheek I can feel, tenderly, a kiss so sweet, like a brush of a hand I that cannot see, the sound of a voice deep inside of my heart. So I dream of a new day coming, for all the world to see." _

They were pulling into the street where Sam lived and Siri drew a lingering finger over the lines of Kenneth's face. They came to a gentle stop in an alleyway but she didn't stop, as Kenneth didn't move.

_" Life your eyes and see the new day dawning, a dream that will soon come true, the day we've waited for. Lift your heart and see the future for us all."_

A knock sounded that broke the soft quiet in the cabin. She turned to see the Sam motioning them out. She unbuckled Kenneth, and moving the boy off her lap, she unbuckled herself. Pulling on the door handle she jumped down from the truck steps, and turned to catch Kenneth as he did the same.

" Okay," Sam said, " here's the plan. Mikaela's going to come with us, she's going to introduce you guys as her friends, who are locked out because you left the keys inside the house." They turned and walked towards the yard, leaving Optimus Prime to be covered by the high hedges in the neighborhood. " Your parents are on a business trip but they will be back in the morning, and Mikaela's house doesn't have a spare guest room, so you're coming to mine." He finished with a flourish. " How's that sound?"

" Sounds good, Sam." Mikaela said, coming over to take his hand, and sharing a look with him. " And you guys got all scraped up because you tried to find a way in the house without the keys but ended up tumbling in the yard."

Sam nodded, looking into his girlfriend's eyes. " Right. Okay." He turned back to the new comers. " You guys go first with Mikaela. I'm going to make sure Optimus is fine for the night."

Sam let go of Mikaela's hand and ran back down the street. Mikaela motioned for them to follow her and they did.

" His parents' won't think it's weird that he has a girl sleeping over?" Siri asked.

" Sam a bit weird himself." Mikaela confided, " but I think his parents would just be happy he has more friends."

Siri looked at her from the corner of her eyes shrewdly.

" Sam might be the strangest boy you'll ever meet," Mikaela admitted, " but he's a good guy. He's tough, he'll take care of things."

Siri took note of the glowing expression on Mikaela's face. " You like him a lot." She said.

" I'm glad I met him." Mikaela replied smiling and knocked on the front door.


	6. Flare: Truths

I've always wondered what kind of woman Sarah Lennox was to be able to have a man like William Lennox so wrapped around her finger. I had also wondered how they met since he was in Special Ops, and this was my version of how it might have happened. Some of Kenneth and Siri's past also come out.

This is also the chapter that I had really wanted to write, the whole story was written so I could have the scenes from this chapter XD.

* * *

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Six: Truths

In a United States Air Force base Tech Sergeant Epps was busy packing artillery and supplies into his duffle bag. As soon as the call had came from Lennox he had alerted the boys to get ready to move out and had requested aerial transport.

" I _knew_ I should have gone with him." Epps ranted. " It'll be _fine_, Sergeant." He mimicked, " Ironhide will be with me. It's just a friendly." He stuffed another shirt into the bag. " Well if it's just a friendly then why the hell did you have to call for back up? The stupid man can't go anywhere without getting into some kind of mess. Why the hell do I listen to him?"

His cell phone rang on the table and he quickly scooped it up, it might be Lennox calling back.

" Epps." He said.

" Would you care to explain why the SecDef just called for Will?" Sarah Lennox asked over the line.

" Ah, Sarah." He greeted. " Well, you see, I have no clue?"

" Shouldn't he be with you Epps?"

Epps answered promptly, knowing she could spot a lie. " He went for a drive."

" I. See." She answered. " Any details?"

" I'm going to him right now." He replied, thankful she wasn't there in person to see him sweating bullets.

" Bring him home, Sgt. Epps. And oh," she added mildly, " the next time you let him go on a mission solo like this, I'll have your spleen. My baby girl needs a father."

" He assured me it was only a friendly." He said, and then cringed, because he wasn't supposed to have said that.

" And that's why he took them sabot rounds with him, and I assume you're packing more of the same?" She asked friendly. His silence was an affirmative. " You know the man's stupidly rash in his decision making. Don't listen to him next time."

" Yes, ma'am." He agreed.

" You're supposed to take care of him Epps." His heart ached at the words of a remembered promise and the thought of failing. " Bring our Captain home."

" I will, Sarah." He said.

" He's an idiot, but we still need him." Her tone was tinged with slight amusement. " Do you remember the last time we took his word?"

He thought back. " You left the Air Force and had his baby?"

" Your spleen Epps." She replied and disconnected.

He winced. That was one hell of a woman. She hadn't lost her touch at all, even after a year off active duty. The phone rang again and he watched it warily.

" Epps." He greeted.

" Hey Sgt." William Lennox said, " everything's good now. We had a small scuffle but everything's fine. You can call off the crew."

" I thought you needed support?"

" The Autobots came and it was a misunderstanding mostly. I'll need you to bring me some more sabots though. I'm out."

" Ah man, I'm not explaining this to your wife." Epps told him.

There was a silence. " Did she call?" Lennox whispered fugitively.

" The SecDef called your place for you. And then she called me." Epps said. " And you weren't here."

" Ouch." Lennox agreed.

" So you better explain this to her why you were on a mission when you're supposed to be on leave, cause my spleen's on the line."

" I better order some flowers." Lennox said.

" And chocolate." Epps added.

" Hey, what was her favorite one again?"

" Which, flowers or chocolate?"

" Eh, both?"

**Outskirts of Tranquility**

Inside the warehouse Ratchet was concentrating carefully on his diagnosis and they were in luck that there were spare parts lying around. Ravage and Rumble stayed back but they watched the medical officer closely, to make sure he wasn't harming the larger Decepticon. Prowl, the dear brother they hadn't seen so long, stood guard to ensure the smaller Decepticons were not making a move to attack while the medical officer was unaware.

" So how did you end up traveling with the boy?" Ironhide asked.

Rumble scoffed and ignored the Autobots. Ravage, speaking the language of Cybertron, laughed from his vocal processors and answered.

" Soundwave and Prowl battling in outer rim of this solar system entered the meteoroid belt and were damage. They crashed landed on this rock two planet rotations ago. We disguised ourselves in the boy's base to recuperate, and killed off his soldiers one rotation ago." Ravage said wickedly.

Rumble laughed as the Autobots except Prowl jerked. Prowl had known this before, but he was tense with disapproval. " The insects were annoying, they didn't even put up much of a good fight."

" We believe the base commanders, the parents, survived. Barely." Ravage said wickedly.

" The flesh ling young followed us ever since." Rumble's tone was contemptuously.

" You killed off his entire household?" Ratchet paused in his repairs.

" Siri and I met under circumstances." Prowl interjected. " I was with her for a rotation before Kenneth came to her blood splattered, injured, tear stained, but very righteous one night. He took the Decepticons with him. Soundwave had put his father in the hospital, and Kenneth has never left Siri since."

" I do not understand." Ironhide said.

" Human behavior patterns confuse me, I simply accept them." Prowl said.

Ironhide agreed. " You and me both brother."

" My radar is broken." Prowl explained looking at Ratchet, who nodded to tell him it would get fixed soon. " I could not detect our brothers' presence. Soundwave's radar functioned but his communciations were down, and his energon storage was leaking. I couldn't fix him and he wouldn't tell me there were more Cybertrons on the planet side."

" Why should we help you?" Rumble sneered.

Prowl ignored him. " I was with Siri, Siri wouldn't leave Kenneth, and Kenneth refused to let the Decepticons go. I did not wish to endanger the children and the Decepticons were too damaged to fight. We've been at a cease-fire since, until earlier."

" Why does Ravage not speak English?" Ironhide asked.

" Why should I?" Ravage sneered. " Have you lost so much of your pride you can't understand Cybertronian anymore, Autobot?"

Ironhide snarled and booted his cannons. Rumble and Ravage engaged their blaster guns. Prowl opened his missile hatch and Ratchet boomed, "Stop it this instant! If you can not behave, leave!"

All the weapons were locked onto targets for some long, tense moments before all together they disengaged. Ratchet sighed, knowing the night was far from over.

Outside the warehouse Special Operations Captain William Lennox saw a jeep and 2 vans pull into the lot. Special Agents exited the vehicles and he watched warily. He recognized the leader as a former Sector 7 Agent, Tom Banachek.

" We received a call form your men, saying you might need support." Banachek told him.

The agents were half an hour too late if that had been the case but Lennox did not point it out. He knew how government agencies worked and the protocols that must be followed before a recovery or support team could be sent out to an unexpected call. Teams were not allowed to roll out unless all necessary weapons and personnel, which might be needed, were assembled.

" It was a misunderstanding." Lennox replied. " The Autobots are currently in the warehouse doing repairs."

Banachek took a look around at the up torn cement, residue bullets, collapsed building, flickering lights, the dirt and scratch on Lennox, and kept his comments to himself.

" You mentioned transport was necessary for a boy and a girl." Banachek spoke.

Will kept his face impassive, silently cursing himself for that slip. " Samuel Witwicky and Mikaela Banes were present for a time," he replied, " their Autobot Bumblebee has taken them home."

" So we have confirmed the new arrival?" Banachek questioned.

" Yes." Lennox said and stopped.

Banachek raised his eyebrows but did not comment. Will knew the waiting tactic and did not elaborate any more than he had to. He was careful not to mention the unexpected additions, letting the Agents assume.

" They are currently in repairs with Ratchet." Lennox said, turn to the warehouse. " You will have to wait until they are finished to speak with the Autobots."

Banachek knew he was not going to get any more out of the Captain and nodded. The Agents waited for his signal and motioned for them to wait it out. Sector 7 had not left good impressions with the other military groups, even delegated to new areas Banachek had to be careful about the relations. He needed the new positions to work, so he was willing to compromise. That was also the reason Simmons was not present. The Special Ops Captain and Agent Simmons had a bad confrontation the last time they argued.

They watched as Bumblebee and Optimus Prime returned to the lot.

**Tranquility**

_Yellow armored robotic organism crawling towards him. Why? Why wasn't Bumblebee standing? ' You gotta get up, you're okay. You're okay!' What was wrong, why didn't he just stand up-_

_-standing up, propping the delivery truck painted with Furrby with Ironhide, green smoke filling the air, Lennox screaming 'No, no, no, MOOOOVEE!!' 'Retreat! Fall back!' 'Incoming!'-_

_-high screech, explosion, Bumblebee flying, debris falling, reach, reaching for Mikaela's hand, stand, 'Anybody hurt?' Bumblebee crawling beside him, had he provided cover for Sam and Mikeala? 'Please get up, Bumblebee, get up!'-_

_RATCHET!!_

_' You gotta get up, you're okay. You're okay.'_ You have to be._ 'Come on!'_

_Sitting on slated rock, waiting for the yellow form to come close enough to touch. 'I'm not going to leave you.' _A promise, a vow._ AllSpark in his hands, why? Why him?_

_-'take this flare-YOU'RE A SOLDIER NOW!'-_

_'Civilian boy with precious cargo(lifelife, holding onto life, lifegiver, the cube)marked by flare (a soldier, a soldier now like Bumblebee, Bee _without his legs

_Running, running, running. Can't let them have it. Have to protect it. Why him? Why him? The cube in his arms, the flare gripped in his hand. Ironhide and Ratchet covering him, high whistle of a jet, a tank firing. _

_Megatron closing in, above/around/below. Plummeting, plummeting, into Optimus' hand. _

_-' You still fight for the weak!'-_

_Sam was weak, weak, Optimus protect him please! _

_-'Mine! AllSpark!' 'Sam, put the cube in my chest, now!'-_

_Megatron wants it so bad, wants the cube so bad that he tore up planets, started this war,_ hurt Bumblebee_, so he can have it!_

_-fire, pure fire and heat racing up into Megatron's chest _

_'NO!'_

_and down his arms, he's on fire, on fire, he's going to die, he's going to win, Megatron's dying-_

_-the light in Megatron's eyes flickering, dimming, died and Prime standing there-'you left me no choice brother'-_

Sam lurched awake in his bed, gasping, sweat covered, eyes wide and unseeing. He breathed the night air, blinking away the last of the remnants of the dreamed memories. He was covered in sweat and he got up, or tried to, tangling his legs in the blankets and tumbling off the bed.

He hissed, biting back swear words. He kicked off the blanket and walked over to his closest, pulling the soaked shirt off. Exchanging the dirty pajamas for new clean ones, he bundled them up and looked around his room. He dumped it in the laundry basket, but standing in the middle of his floor, he didn't feel sleepy.

Sighing, he carefully opened his door and walked downstairs. He headed to the kitchen, a glass of milk sometimes helped. He kept his footsteps light, not wanting to wake anyone up. He took a cup out of the cupboard and washed it with a bit of water.

He didn't make much noise, as he was pretty used to this now. He had been waking up from the dreams for the past two months; he had gotten good at moving around in the house quietly. He was also used to the haunting memories. Soon, he might be able to put them aside as well and get a decent night sleep.

He wandered the kitchen, towards the fridge for the milk and his stomach cramped at he thought of food. Orange juice or pop didn't sound appealing either. He wondered if they had anything in the medical cabinet that might help put him back to sleep, preferably without dreams.

-Standing over Megatron next to Prime, the light gone out in the eyes and 'You left me no choice brother'-

Prime had called him brother. Sam put the cup on the counter, not feeling like he was going to be able to put anything in his stomach now. Prime had called him his brother. Prime had called Megatron his brother. Why? Why?

If Optimus Prime and Megatron were brothers, then why this war? This fight? And the fight between the two of them. Megatron wanted the AllSpark and Optimus wanted to protect life, and Sam had wanted to protect people's life, and Bumblebee's life, and if Megatron wanted the cube so much Sam was going to _give_ it to him-

-and the shout of 'NO SAM!' in the background.

Sam blinked. He hadn't really thought about that before, hadn't really heard Prime in the middle of the anger, fear, nervousness, and adrenaline. Prime had said to put the cube in his chest, but that would kill Prime. So he went and put the cube in Megatron's chest because Megatron was killing people and he wanted it so much, so Sam was going to give it to him the only way he would allow.

But Prime had objected. He had screamed for Sam not to when he was going to kill Megatron? Shouldn't he have wanted that?

Sam's breathing came faster.

Megatron was going to die because Megatron deserved to die but Optimus had said no. He hadn't wanted Sam to kill him! He wanted Sam to put the cube in his _own_ chest killing himself and destroying the cube, but leaving Megatron to live. Why?

Why?

Because Optimus was a martyr? Because Optimus believed in saving all life, even his enemies? Because Optimus didn't want his brother to die?

The bile rose fast and furious. He ran for the first floor washroom and barely made it in time to the toilet, didn't bother to open the light, knees buckling and he held onto the porcelain bowl for all he had. He retched. And retched again.

His dinner, lunch, and maybe even his breakfast came back up. The acid burned, his throat closed up, but all the same he kept on heaving. He gasped for air, stinging his throat, but he couldn't stop. It burned, his eyes stun, and finally, he gave in.

_You left me no choice, brother._ Him? Or Sam?

Sam cried. Tears rolled down his cheeks, he gagged and sobbed, trying to get air and cry at the same time. His mouth felt awful and his nose protested against the vile smell, but he couldn't move, it was all he could do to hold onto the toilet bowl and not slide to the floor.

The water was turned on and off in the sink without him knowing it. He realized someone was there with him when a cool wet cloth settled on his forehead. He looked up and Siri used the opportunity to wipe his face.

" Wha-?" He managed before she shook her head and shoved a glass of water at him.

" Rinse your mouth and spit it out." She told him softly.

He took the cup and gurgled. He pushed himself to his knees and spat in the sink, behind him the toilet flushed. He gurgled again, until all the water in the cup was gone and his mouth felt less disgusting.

His strength was returning and the empty cup was plucked from his hands. He watched the sink as the tap was turned on, water splashed to wash the residue down the drain, and the cup refilled with tap water and handed to him.

"Drink it." Siri's voice came above him gently.

He took it and drank hungrily; he hadn't known he was so thirsty. She washed the face cloth and gave it to him. He scrambled up and used it to wipe his face on his own this time. He refilled the cup once more with water and drank.

" So, uh, I woke you?" He asked after, keeping his voice low. Now that he was no longer distraught he felt the blood rushing to his face in embarrassment. " I'm sorry."

" I'm a light sleeper." She said. " I heard you come down the stairs."

" Sorry about that, that you had to see me like, that." He couldn't meet her eyes. " I was just um, I had a bad dream and." He cursed himself. Way to sound like a little kid, being all upset over a dream.

" We can't choose what we dream." She said lightly. " They're not things we always want to see, and sometimes memories are worse."

He blinked. " You sound like you have experience." She had certainly acted like she knew what she was doing before with the water and face cloth.

" Maybe." She told him with a mysterious smile. " But Kenneth cries a lot too."

He flushed. Being compared to a 10 year old was not what he wanted. " I don't always, um."

" Neither does Kenneth." She said seriously. " He's a tough kid, tougher than some adults. But life gives us pretty hard knocks sometimes."

He made a noise in his throat and looked at the walls.

" Mission City?"

He snapped his attention back to her and in the light of the moonlight coming from the window he saw she had sat down on the middle of the rim of the bathtub. He made a dismissive grunt in his throat.

" It's okay, you know." She said, in her oversized shirt and shorts borrowed from his mom. " To talk about it, to want to talk about it. I'll listen, if you want."

He stared at her, the shadows playing against her face made her look almost ethereal, smaller than she already was, like a night sprite who would disappear in the morning and never get the chance to tell anyone what he had done this night and what he might tell her.

" I won't judge you. I wasn't there." She said.

He blinked, coming back to reality. She wasn't a night sprite and she would still be there in the morning and she would remember everything he had done and whatever he might talk to her about. She would still be there in the morning, and she would know.

" Mikaela was." He said.

" Yes." Siri agreed. " She seems very attached to you, and seems to have this view that you are infallible. You must have done something very impressive."

" Yes well," he coughed, " nothing too much. Just what had to get done you know." But a flush of pride still swelled.

"Were you a hero, Sam?" She asked, and he felt his heart ache. He wasn't a hero; he had just been a sixteen-year-old boy scared out of his mind. " I think you were."

He smiled bitterly. He couldn't talk to her, what had he been thinking?

" Most people think heroes are flawless, without faults." She said watching him carefully. " Mikaela might be one of those."

He shrugged. He had promised he wouldn't be weak anymore; that he was through with getting picked on, being looked down by Trent and the others. He reminded himself he had proved himself, back in Mission City.

" But I think," she said softly, " heroes pay a price."

He went still, his throat clenched, and his eyes stung. The Witwicky motto came back to him: no sacrifice, no victory. They had the victory and it had been paid in blood, sweat, lives, pain, and pieces of his sanity.

_' When have you had to sacrifice anything in your perfect little life?'_ Mikaela had asked him that night, and back then he had no answer, because he never really had to sacrifice anything in his life before. But now he would be able to answer her, and it might just be _'every day'_.

He's given up his life: his chance at normality, his honesty with his parents, the trusts of his human friends, and many future opportunities. Because the truth is that he has a file marked 'Top Secret' in the Pentagon, a list of key words to say over the phone in emergency, and phone numbers to several key top military personnel that sometimes don't exist. His car is a Camaro-turn-Alien, his best friends are giant robotic Cybertrons, he had neighbors who worked in undercover special forces, a freight truck, ambulance, a hummer, and a few non-descript cars with tinted windows were often parked around his house, and his name alone brought up National Security Issues.

No Sacrifice, No Victory.

The weight of world had been placed on his shoulders in the form of putting a metallic alien cube into his too small, too human hands. And the cube was gone now, destroyed, but the weight never left. And everyone was smiling and laughing and expected him to smile and laugh and he had _killed Optimus' brother_.

And no one wanted to hear it. Because who wants to hear how the hero was not a hero and how he wants to fall apart, is falling apart two months down the line. Mikaela didn't, it was unfathomable to her, he was the hero, perfect, and he never wanted to be less then perfect to her. Bee and the others had been soldiers for a long time and the death of Megatron was such a celebration, he didn't want to burden them. Optimus looked so old and brittle standing above Megatron's broken body and Sam just couldn't make him relive it. He wasn't close enough with the soldiers that had fought with him in Mission City to confide in them, and he couldn't tell his friends or parents because they weren't supposed to know.

So here he was, stuck. Crumbling alone. Haunted by dreams that he couldn't speak to anyone about.

Except Siri was here. And she was silent, had been silent for the past long while as he was lost in his thoughts. She hadn't pushed him or pulled away. She was simply watching him; she said she would listen, and not judge him. She would still be there in the morning. And she would know.

He swallowed in the moonlight and went to sit next to her on the bathtub rim. He placed his elbows on his thighs, interlocked his fingers, placed his chin on the joints, and looked at the bathroom tile. She waited.

He swallowed again, the noise audible in the night. They were silent, sitting on the rim of the bathtub, surfaces reflecting the moonlight. It was peaceful. He took a deep breath.

" Did we tell you that it was me who killed Megatron?"

He talked.


	7. Flare: Horizon

**Title:** Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Horizon

Kenneth woke in the early morning alone on a large, comfortable mattress. There were no noises of the Cybertrons and he sat up, rubbing one eye. Blinking at the view of the unfamiliar room he remembered where he was. He didn't see Siri anywhere in the room and he slid out of the bed cautiously. Walking up the stairs there were no noises of any one awake. It was early morning yet.

He exited the stairwell to see the clock read 5:47 AM. Bare feet padded the floor and he looked curiously for Siri. There was no one in the kitchen but soft murmurs came behind a slightly ajar bathroom door.

"I wondered if the guilt was normal." The voice of the boy they met yesterday, Sam, said. "After everything really, and it was the right thing to do. I'm sure of it. Mostly. And wow, my life being so screwed up in a number of days you know, I would have never believed it in the beginning of that same week. Or staying up the night before doing the Genealogy chart."

Siri's voice gave a soft murmur.

"I wonder sometimes, not about if it was worth it because it was, but what if, you know? What if I didn't," he gave a chuckle, "buy Satan's Camaro."

Kenneth reached out and pushed the opened door back. Siri and the boy were sitting on the bathtub edge and they both looked at him in the doorway.

"Oh, it morning already." The boy said, blinking and looking to the bathroom window as if seeing the light for the first time.

"It's still early." Siri said. "Kenneth wakes up early."

Kenneth walked the steps clumsily towards Siri and slid down to place his head on her lap. He yawned. "I'm hungry, Siri."

She ruffled his hair gently the way he liked it. "You fell asleep before you ate dinner last night."

He whimpered. "I was tired."

Sam stood up. "Ah, I better get ready and go get changed for the day." He said. "I'll meet you guys in the kitchen for breakfast and the guys might come at any minute to give us news."

Kenneth perked up. "You mean Soundwave?"

"Yes, our robotic friends." Siri said.

"Come on, up big guy." Siri said, tugging at his arms. "Time to get washed up."

Kenneth remained stubbornly on her lap and Sam laughed. He reached out and tickled the sides of the younger boy. Kenneth squealed and whirling around, launched himself on the teenager.

"Whoa, whoa! I give!" Sam spoke in the midst of laughter as the two boys rolled on the bathroom floor.

It was unsanitary but Siri simply made a face and kept quiet. It had been so long since Kenneth had a human playmate other than her. Kenneth smiled triumphantly and Sam stood, extending his arms to the seated Kenneth.

"Up now." Sam offered.

Kenneth reached out and grabbed hold. Sam winced as electric pain raced up his arms momentarily at the weight. He hoped that the bandages wouldn't need changing yet. Kenneth's blue eyes were wide and luminous staring up at him. Sam ruffled the younger boy's messy morning hair.

"Time to wash up." Sam repeated.

Kenneth looked at him with the large eyes and nodded solemnly. He smiled crookedly to the two of and turned.

"I'll go use the upstairs washroom. I'll see you guys after in the kitchen." Sam said and walked out.

Kenneth watched the teenage boy go until he ascended the stairs. In the silence of the early morning the child ran to close the bathroom door, taking care to lock it, turned to see Siri still sitting on the bathtub rim, and raced back to settle on his knees next to his caretaker and leaning his upper body over her lap.

Blue eyes were large as they stared up at her. "He feels like the Cube Siri."

She nodded somberly. "Yes," she replied softly, "he does."

"Is he like me then?" Kenneth asked inquiring.

She hesitated then shook her head. "He was holding it when…the Cube's gone Kenny, Sam said he broke it." At Kenneth's stunned and devastated look she smoothed back his blonde hair in comfort. "He needed it, to save people. To save his friends."

"Oh." Kenneth replied.

In the silence the young boy's trembling hands clenched and unclenched in the excess cloth of her shirt. His eyes dropped and he stared, eyes shimmering, jaw tight, lips pinched. His shoulders shook but he made no sound. Finally he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She waited.

"Do we hate him now?" Kenneth's quiet voice seemed to echo.

She smiled. "If you ever have to ask that, then you don't." She told him. "Or you shouldn't."

They lapsed into silence and Kenneth crawled forward on his knees between her legs until his small arms wrapped themselves around her waist. He buried his face in her chest and the unnatural stillness of his body hurt worse than any crying or screaming could have. They stayed that way until a gentle knock came on the door. Kenneth got up and walked slowly to the door. Unlocking and pulling the door open to reveal Sam standing on the entrance with a lop-sided smile.

"I thought maybe I should take Kenneth." Sam replied to their careful blank faces. "Since we're both guys, and leave you to get ready."

Siri made herself nod. "Thank you."

"Come on Kenny." Sam said. "The two of us need to stick together." He extended a newly bandaged arm and Kenneth stared. This time it was different, this time the moment felt weighted and so important even if the reason why was unclear. Sam stood smiling in light confusion at the stalemate.

Hesitant, ever so preciously, Kenneth reached out his small palm and gently placed his tiny fingers in Sam's offered hand. "You have new bandages." The little boy observed subdued.

"Yeah, the old ones needed changing." Sam replied.

"But there are more than before." Kenneth pointed out.

"My hands seem to be getting worse than better in the past few days." Sam explained dryly. "I wonder why."

Kenneth was quiet, and he looked down to the floor. Sam tilted his head confused at the young boy's abrupt change of behavior, but the little blonde's grip in his hands was tight.

"Kenny, go with Sam." Siri said. "You guys have things in common."

"Yeah, we're two of a kind." Sam rolled his eyes. "Come one Kenneth, you might not know this," he confided in a fake whisper as he turned and walked off, taking Kenneth with him, "but _girls_ take a long time to get ready."

"But Siri's always ready fast." The little boy's perplexed reply came faintly down the hall.

Siri smiled and waited, watching the opened doorway until wooden door swung gently closed.

_-Optimus Prime and the others crash landed that night. Optimus explained the situation accompanied by this cool life-like video graphics, mega-brownie-points man, explaining about the Autobots and the Decepticons and how my great-great-grandfather actually did discover something-_

_-I found out about the glasses but I also found out about Sector Seven, a secret government group, they knew about the Autobots before anyone else but kept it a secret, they had a do-whatever-you-want-and-get-away-with-it badge-_

_-took us to Hoover Dam, underneath they had a huge complex as their hidden base, Simmons had to listen to his boss Banachek and I told him I'd take my car, my parents, Mikaela's juvie record-_

_-in the huge chamber called the Alien Chamber I told them: N.B.E-1 a.k.a. Megatron was the harbinger of death, wanted to bring about the next apocalypse, taking over the world by killing off humans and replacing the population with the robotic-life-giving Allspark, which apparently was this gigantic cube thing they had in the next underground chamber-_

_-Bee shrunk it, I don't know how, but then we headed off to Mission City and there was the battle, this huge battle, that-that-that well, we were supposed to have back up but Starscream struck and Bee lost his _legs_-_

_-running, running with the Allspark and I was wondering why it had to be _me_, you know? I just wanted my family to be okay, my friends, Bumblebee, and I wanted the girl, the car, the cool teenage life and instead I'm running with a alien cube in my arms with bullets, lasers, guns, huge robots wanting my death-_

_-I dropped the cube once, and god almighty, the phone booth and computer came to _life_, but I didn't have time to think about it-_

_-nothing like when he was frozen. He was huge, and metal, and so frightening. He offered to keep me as his pet if I gave him the cube, eh, yeah, not enticing let me tell you. Then he just decided to kill me, he's such an asshole-_

_-Prime was the only one to take him on, you know? The others tried but Megatron was so strong, and bigger than them. Prime and he had this huge fight and I really, really, just wanted to get away, be alive, go check on Bee-_

_-Prime said to stick the cube in his chest to get rid of it, but that would mean Prime was going to die, and I was so angry, so confused, so scared, so desperate, and I didn't even _think_. If Megatron wanted the cube so much, could hunger for it, destroy worlds for it, create wars for it, hurt my friends, hurt Bee, and well, I guess I just thought subconsciously I would give it to him. Give it to him and end this stupid fight, but on my terms. My way. And I shoved it up, up into his chest where his Spark was a, god, god there was fire and pain and electricity and I saw my life flashing by my eyes. I was just a normal sixteen-year-old boy why, why did it have to be _me?_ Why did this have to happen this way? Why couldn't-couldn't-ahp-_

_-the government took their remains away…I don't really know too much of what happened after the battle…Bee said he would stay with me and then I felt so tired, so bruised and in so much pain, I didn't faint. I just sort of…fell unconscious after a while…and now…well now…-_

_-the burns are still healing and I don't go to the doctor for anything. It's too classified and well, it might be taking a bit longer then normal burns, I might have faint etchings of squiggly line scars on my palms, but hey, they'll fade and at least Megatron's dead…right…?-_

"Oh Sam." She whispered wrapping her arms around her middle and bending her back to curl into herself.

_-I don't regret it - maybe I do, maybe I don't. I _killed_ but there was no other way. I just wish…no one wants to hear it you know, how I might feel, how I might actually regret it somehow, even a little, maybe like right now. I regret killing Megatron but I don't regret that he's dead; do you know what I mean? I wish it hadn't happened that way, that it hadn't been me, but Megatron needed to die, and that's just the way things are._

_Megatron's dead.-_

"Oh Sam," She whispered, "I think you're breaking my heart."

**Outskirts of Tranquility**

Tom Banachek supervised the movement of the crew and waited with William Lennox as the rest of the units set up a temporary base. The mid day sun crossed a sky filled with few clouds and Banachek watched as the shift changed and three agents left for lunch. He pushed up the dark sunglasses on his nose and nodded to his men as they looked back at him for confirmation before leaving the premises.

"You're not hungry?" Banachek addressed the military man beside him.

"Epps should be arriving soon. Sam and Mikeala as well. I'll go when someone comes to relieve me." The words were curt.

Banachek stifled a sigh. Simmons' disposition had always put a strain between the relations.

The two men had been civil to each other throughout the day but Banachek hadn't been able to heal any of the rift that the initial impression of Sector 7 had left. The field agents had been good for when a situation needed force but they should never be sent for public relations.

The Autobots hadn't come out of the warehouse since the agents had arrived and Ratchet had allowed none to enter, due to delicate medical procedures. They were waiting for some of the other Autobots to show up and debrief.

A yellow Camaro with sport streaks turned the corner to the lot followed in a short distance by a large red and blue freight truck maneuvering carefully around the small streets. Banachek stiffened his shoulders and walked up to meet the two teenagers he could see through the glass of the florescent yellow car.

"Mr. Witwicky, Ms. Banes." Banachek greeted them as they slowly exited the car.

"Mr. Banachek." Samuel Witwicky replied. "I didn't know the check up was supposed to be so soon."

Sam had been regularly checking in once every two weeks, for debriefing and follow ups, as per the agreement for the contract made with the Secretary of Defense. He had checked in last week.

Banachek smiled. "No, but we received a cut transmission from Captain Lennox and my men were sent out in response."

"I thought Sector 7 was disbanded." Mikeala Banes said arching her chin.

Banachek tilted his head. "It was. I work under a different Division now, but contact and dealings with the events of Mission City and N.B.E. are still routed through those already cleared for the knowledge."

"It was a false alarm." Lennox interrupted. "I dropped my cell phone in the middle of the call. It was all a misunderstanding."

Banachek looked around at the torn gravel where men were reading energy traces from various machines. "Quite a scene."

Sam shrugged. "The guys are huge you know, anything small would be…not usual." He laughed nervously. "A small thing to them would end up a big thing to us, you know?"

"Yeah, totally." Banes agreed energetically. "Big guys, big machines, big scenes. But to them? Small, totally small."

The truck pulled to a stop near the warehouse. Banachek made to turn and approach the leader of the Autobots but Lennox stepped in front and stopped him.

"Look, there's Epps."

A black military hummer turned into the lot and pressed forward slowly. A tall dark skinned man was seen through the windows driving the car. Banachek stayed with the other humans waiting for information and change of shifts.

The horn honked twice from the Camaro and large doors slowly screeched open to allow two large Autobots to exit from the inside of the warehouse. Banachek recognized the first as the medical officer Ratchet, and the second which was a mix of blue and white plating was unknown to him. The second form closed the door before they headed towards the transforming yellow robot.

Some distance away the metal car door popped open and two figures exited. The small blonde boy swiveled and waited for the older teenage girl who looked around the busy location before freezing as she spotted the middle aged man in a black suit by the other two teenagers and the military Captain. Her eyes were wide and shoulders stiff. Jerking she quickly jumped down and crouched, pulling the smaller boy to her.

"Kenny." She whispered.

"Siri?" He asked just as quiet.

She stared at him then pinched her lips. "Look at Sam."

The now curious boy peeked around the front bender and bright blue eyes widened before he jerked back and stared at the older girl. A tiny tremble ran through his body as he paled.

Expression tight and lips pale the young woman said numbly, "We're going to the warehouse." for the benefit of the listening Autobot, and she knew the boy understood as Kenneth's eyes flashed. He nodded shakily and placed a trembling hand in hers. She tightened her hand around his and taking care of their position, casually walked towards the backdoor of the warehouse, their bodies hidden by the freight truck wheels and cargo box.

Shuffling carefully Siri and Kenneth tried to look like they belonged for the odd chance someone should detect them. None did, although the freight truck was oddly still. Taking a deep breath, clenching Kenny's hand in hers, the two children sprinted the small gap between the end of the truck and the back of the warehouse.

Hearts hammering, they hit the stone wall with too much noise for Siri's comfort. She held her breath and waited, but no approaching footsteps sounded. The truck started its engine and moved towards the group of tall standing robots in the middle of the lot. Throat tight she pulled Kenneth with her as they slid to the back door. She twisted the knob but it stuck, the door was locked from the inside. Sweat perspired on her brow as Kenneth pressed close to her and she twisted the knob again and again, rattling the lock quietly. Then it clicked.

Siri drew in a slow breath as the door creaked, each low screech like a possible arrow to her back. Staring down the barrel of a gun, she was never so happy to see the purple robot.

"Rumble." She said quietly.

"Flesh ling." Rumble sneered and Siri flinched at the noise.

Quickly she pushed back the raised gun and autonomous robotic life form, pulling Kenneth in and to the shadows with her but left the door open. She let go of Kenneth's hand and walked hurriedly over to the seated Decepticon.

"We have to leave." She said, heart slamming to her ribcage.

The newly activating Cybertron looked down at her. Ravage leaped from his place on Soundwave's knee and trotted towards the young boy.

"We have to go. Now." She repeated.

"Why should we listen to you?" Rumble asked sardonically. "What has made you so eager?"

"Your heartbeat and blood pressure is escalated." Soundwave remarked.

Siri's lips twitched. "Now is not the time to be a smart aleck. We have to leave."

"You don't command us flesh ling." Rumble told her.

Siri locked her jaw. "Me and Kenny are not staying. We're leaving, now. We'll leave without you if we have to."

Glowing robotic eyes flared as they stared at her in silence.

"Please." The little boy said broken, arms around the neck of an electronic jaguar. His whole body shook.

"Rumble." Soundwave said and his form started changing.

The purple robot turned stiffly, gears grinding but stalked out of the opened door. Ravage followed him with Kenny at his back. Siri quickly bent and picked up the old cassette recorder and thanked the world for small favors, she was carrying everything they had in the large side bag she wore. She ran out to see that the rest of them were ready to go.

Rumble had transformed into a sparkling purple high speed motorcycle, Ravage into an attachment cart. Hurriedly Siri strapped the bag and Soundwave tight on the back of the motorcycle, Kenneth seated in Ravage who automatically strapped the young boy in. Jumping a step and throwing one leg over the body of the motorcycle Siri settled into the seat and bent low, gripping the handles tight.

"Go." She said in a low tone. "Quiet as you can, take us far away from here."

The brake moved off the gravel and the engine turned on a low roar. A small thrum started and then Rumble moved across the gravel towards the closest exit. Siri fervently hoped they would not be noticed until too late; Kenneth squeezed his eyes shut and sunk into the seat as low as possible.

They pulled out in to the street and turning a far corner, Rumble gave a throttle and raced down the open road.

* * *

Optimus transformed and stood at a height taller then the rest of the Autobots. The other moved to allow him space and offer him respect. 

"Optimus Prime." Banachek greeted.

"Tom Banachek." Optimus replied. "This is our new member," he gestured towards the new addition, "Prowl. We are very happy to have another one of our brothers here with us."

"I hear there was a small scuffle?" Banachek inquired.

"Indeed." Optimus replied just as evenly. "There was a simple misunderstanding of arrival details. Nothing too large."

Banachek avoided turning to the destruction of the many metric meters around him. "Indeed. Then I shall notify the authority and the Secretary of Defense the matter has been handled."

Optimus inclined his head. "Thank you."

"What were the discrepancies, that I should report?" Banachek asked.

The Autobots and Lennox all moved to speak but Sam beat them to it.

"No one." He said quickly. "I mean, nothing. Nothing, no one, none. No discrepancies!"

Lennox bit back a curse, Epps standing behind him closed his eyes. The Autobots remained silent, still, and Mikeala drove a not-so-gentle elbow into his ribs. Sam gasped in pain.

Banachek stared at the teenage boy intently from behind dark glasses. "No…one?"

"Uh em." Sam hummed. "None. Just me and Mikeala here, like always." He grinned promptly.

Mikeala smiled speedily and brightly in conjunction. "Some of us weren't told of what to expect and was surprised that's all. But everything's good. Great! Even."

"That's good." Banachek remarked, "And, Prowl, was it?" The robot nodded. "Found you all by himself?"

"Yeah, mostly." Sam agreed hurriedly. " Just Syri-" Mikeala ploughed an elbow into his gut.

"Sigh-ri?" Banachek repeated sharply.

Mikeala groaned. Lennox and Epps kept their faces blank, Ironhide grunted "For Primus."

Sam rubbed his abused ribs and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Sam. Son." Banachek softened his tone and took off his sunglasses, placing them in his breast pocket. "I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm just here to make sure everything's alright, and to make sure none of you are harmed. If there is anything you want to tell me, anyone you think I can help…"

Sam snapped his eyes to his. "You'd help?"

"Sam!" Mikeala snapped.

But Sam did not look at her, or to any one else. He stared steadily into blue eyes. He thought about how tough and wrong Simmons had been; then how Banachek had explained about N.B.E.-1, showed them the cube, allowed him to speak, ordered Simmons and the others to stop hurting Bee; how Bumblebee and the other Autobots didn't trust him but he was nice, accommodating, apologetic to his parent's outrageous proclamations; how civil the check ins were.

He thought about the trust needed when he had said they had the Cube, and Banachek showed it to them. The kindness he showed when he offered to explain the cover-up to his parents. The way Bee was living with him and Mikeala's juvenile record was gone.

He thought about Siri's dark eyes, the slenderness of her body in the night, the almost visible ribs of Kenneth as he dressed the boy this morning. The wariness in Siri's slow smile, the exhaustion on her body at the first meeting, the desperation of Kenneth's voice as he proclaimed he would not leave without Soundwave, the compassion and understanding Siri had offered last night, and the fear and hesitation in Kenneth's eyes as a stranger approached.

The shadows in their eyes that looked right back at his.

_Heroes pay a price._

Sam swallowed. "I don't want them involved."

"Them?"

"Syri – Siri and"

"Siri?!" Banachek's tone was harsh and several other agents stiffened around them.

Suddenly Sam had all the attention of 10 suited men who had previously been scouting the parameter.

"Kenneth." Sam finished unnerved.

"Kenneth!" Banachek repeated. "Kenneth: young, blonde, blue eyed, around 10, follows Siri. Siri: small, Asian, black hair, brown eyes, 19?"

"19?" Sam and Mikeala blinked. "I thought she was 17 like me…"

"My God." One agent muttered and another pressed two fingers to his ear and read off a code, ending with, "Alert Nigel."

Suddenly Sam didn't think he would tell Banachek after all. "Look, I don't know what happened but I don't want them hurt. I don't want to get them involved-"

"Involved?" Banachek turned fully towards Sam, gaze intense. "You have two children of the First Seven and you say you don't want them involved?"


	8. Flare: Data

I'm sure some of you are going: yay we got rid of the OCs. XD. I wasn't gong to post this chapter up yet, but I seem to have finished it ahead of schedule and some of you are confused from the last bit or you just don't like the abrupt ending. This story is ending up longer then I thought it would be, but I wanted a well developed storyline before jumping in...so I guess it's my own fault. The title changed only a bit to encompass later parts but that's about it.

'First Seven' refers to the first seven men who founded Sector Seven.

* * *

**Title:** Flare 

**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Data

"What?" Sam, Mikaela, and Lennox demanded in unison.

"Siri McKinney and Kenneth Gregory have been missing for more then a year. Both are assumed to be dead. K.I.A." Banachek said.

"Dead?" Sam repeated in shock.

"K.I.A.?" Lennox narrowed his eyes. "Why would two children, even if one was 19, the other is 10, be labeled 'K.I.A.'? Especially for more than a year."

"K.I.A.?" Mikaela whispered to Sam.

"Killed in Action." Bumblebee replied, leaning down. "It is a termed used for military or organized troops when they fall in battle."

"Oh." Sam looked at Mikaela. They shared a troubled gaze. "They didn't look military. Or secret service. Why…"

"They are descendents of the First Seven." An agent interrupted. Banachek gave the man a hard stare but he did not back down. "Much control of Sector Seven was passed down through lineage. Family knowledge of the N.B.E. and Cube was passed down through generations and the children inducted into the service."

"Warren…"

The dark haired man pulled off dark sunglasses to reveal hard emerald eyes. "If they are able to help us find the children, I am willing to help them."

Banachek and Warren engaged in a staring contest as neither looked away.

"Wait." Sam said. "Even if they're descendents, they didn't look trained."

"They weren't." Banachek relented. "But they were on the base during their younger years and clearance matters made it so they had to be registered as staff personnel. When they were not found…" He trailed off and stared at Sam. "Where are they now? When did you last see them? What was the nature of your acquaintance? Why you? Why now?"

"A series of coincidences." Ratchet mused.

"The hell." Ironhide snorted. "It's a cosmic joke."

"I have to agree with you Big Guy." Lennox said and Epps rolled his eyes.

"They came with Prowl…" Sam looked at the silent robot.

"I have been with Siri for two rotations, years?" Sam nodded. "Two years. I encountered her in Los Angeles and we have been moved to various places since."

"Los Angeles?" Agent Warren muttered.

"Kenneth joined us with…some acquaintances a year back." Prowl continued under Optimus' attention. "The two…younglings have not left each other since."

"Siri…" Agent Warren mused. "Siri…she's been missing for more then two years. Many thought…" He replaced his sunglasses.

"More then two years?" Mikaela asked. "That would have made her 17, 16." She lowered her eyes, remembering the shadows in the other girl's eyes that she had felt a connection with. Both of them had gone through hard times.

"She had been assumed dead since then." Banachek gazed across the lot. "Most had no hope, but her father had fervently denied it. Still looks for her today."

Agent Warren turned away.

"Really?" Sam asked. "Who…"

A man of medium height with short brown hair and brown eyes headed towards them from the direction Agent Warren faced. A white lab coat was thrown over a dark blue suit and round spectacles were seated on the bridge of his nose. He looked of early forties and physically fit.

"Where is she?" the man asked sharply as he came to a stop.

"She's alive." Agent Warren said. "How convenient for you McKinney."

The newcomer's nostrils flared, Banachek quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. "This is one of our renowned scientists, Nigel McKinney, Siri's father."

They looked at the new man: white skinned, brown hair, and obvious European descent. "She was adopted." He said to their stares.

Sam and Mikaela plastered smiles to their faces. "Nice to meet you."

"Which one of you was the last to see her?" He dismissed their greeting. "Did she leave any clues to where she would be hiding?"

"She spent the night at my house." Sam volunteered. "We didn't want to force to her rent a hotel-"

"You had viable contact with her?!" The man shot forward, arms outstretched to grab hold of the teenage boy, but the sound of machine whirling and suddenly he was staring into a laser cannon barrel and the boy was tucked behind metal arms.

"Careful human." Ironhide spoke from behind Bumblebee's glower. "We don't like sudden aggressive movements."

McKinney backed down scowling. "I was not going to hurt the boy; I simply wanted him to answer some of my questions."

"It's okay Bumblebee." Sam said, placing a hand on Bee within the protection of the Autobot's arms. "He was just excited, I'm sure after so long, he must miss Siri a lot."

Agent Warren gave short, soundless, laugh. McKinney glared at the younger man.

Banachek closed his eyes for a moment of frustration. His men were fighting amongst themselves when he needed them to show teammate and a good impression to correct the one Simmons left behind.

"Gregory is also looking for his son." McKinney said to the group.

Agent Warren became expressionless. "Earth will burn before that man gets the boy back in his custody."

McKinney twisted to the Agent. "You have something against parents wanting their children back?"

"I have a problem with parents wanting to manipulate and use their children for their own means and then neglect and abuse them." Agent Warren replied monotonously. "When Kenneth is found, Gregory will have to prove to me that his anger is controlled before I allow him to be in the presence of the boy."

"He's his father!"

"That doesn't excuse him from anything." Lennox cut in, voice cold. He remembered the flinch Kenneth reacted with when he had reached out. He had seen many defiant, abused children in the less developed nations and in the war zones, but to see one in his own country when children were to be cherished, it made his teeth grit.

"You do not cherish your younglings?" Optimus asked idly.

"It's not a question of cherish." McKinney replied sharply. "Anyways, we're off topic. Where is Siri?"

Mikaela and Sam shared a dark look. Bumblebee did not release him from the circle of his protection and Lennox looked to Ironhide who gave him a skeptic look back. Prowl was silent and Optimus was musing his thoughts. Ratchet and Epps waited for the verdict.

"She came with us, earlier." Mikaela divulged reluctantly.

Sam shrugged. "She's on the lot somewhere, maybe inside the warehouse."

Banachek furrowed his brows and look to the building. "Why? Is not everyone gathered out here?"

They tensed. Sam shrugged again. "Maybe she didn't want to see anyone."

"I'll go check. My equipment is still inside." Ratchet spoke up to the agreement of everyone.

They all watched Ratchet open the large door and entered, blocking the view with his large bulk and disappeared to the shadows within. Sam saw out of the corner of his eyes, Agent Warren's hand open and clench. Prowl and Optimus watched the agitated scientist. Banachek was trying to relax his posture.

When Ratchet exited a long moment later he was oddly silent. Then he looked at Bumblebee, Sam, Mikaela, Ironhide, Lennox, before finally at Prowl and Optimus.

"They're gone." He said quietly.

"What?" Lennox asked

"They're gone." Ratchet repeated. "It's empty. There are no traces."

The Autobots and their humans understood the undertone but the previous Sector 7 Agents and Scientist ran into the empty warehouse.

"No! Damn it!" When McKinney walked out his face was furious. "Where could she have gone? She has no funds!"

"Does she?" Banachek asked, looking up to Prowl. "You were with her for two years, how did she do financially?"

"She had what she needed." Prowl answered.

"She never made a withdrawal from her accounts, never used a credit card, never visited her bank. There were no reports of theft linked to her name and description." McKinney stared at the large robot. "How did she get her funds?"

The unsaid and implied were obvious. Prowl narrowed his optics at the man. "She never broke the rules, if that is what you are wondering."

McKinney locked his jaw and turned to walk away. The others watched him.

"Bastard." Mikaela said under her breath staring at his back. At least her father had never looked down at her like that.

"Was he implying…" Lennox growled out.

"Yes." Epps said utterly calm.

"About his own youngling?" Ironhide questioned, his circuits browsing the web for another possible explanation.

"Yes." Agent Warren replied coolly.

Sam looked unhappy. "I thought he was searching for her."

There was a short silence.

"And that begs the question," Agent Warren said, "why she never returned, if he would welcome her. If she is as free to move as you said and imply, why she never chose to come back if she wanted to return."

"Warren!" Banachek called.

Agent Warren placid features gave none of his other thoughts away as he walked towards the rest of his unit. McKinney returned back to the group, only this time two other scientists followed him with equipment.

"I need to run so diagnostics." The brunette said settling the electronics in front of Sam. "The other medical researcher has passed your case onto me. Since you're here we'll just do the readings now."

Sam nodded and walked towards them. The three scientists waved dark rods connected to various boxes. Beeps and clicks sounded, energy spikes registered on the screen. They started marking things down on a clip board.

"What are you doing?" Mikaela asked.

She had been under the impression that Sam's check ins were the same as hers, mostly just talking with a psychologist and some Agents if any issues had arose from their experience. She watched as they taped electrode to Sam's forehead and exposed skin.

"Radiation diagnosis. Checking his body functions." An assistant spoke without looking up from his notes. "Seeing if there has been any deviance from the data."

"What? What are you talking about?" Mikaela demanded. "What data?"

McKinney waved a hand dismissively. "He had contact with the cube, what do you think would happen? The energy harnessed brings devices to sentient _life_. We're just checking to see if he has lingering side affects." A pen light was shot in the boy's eyes. "Nausea? Vomited lately? How's your diet and appetite? Have you felt exhausted, more than usual? Prolonged bleeding? Mental fatigue?"

Sam winced at the light and smiled warily. He's experienced all the symptoms in the past days but he doubted McKinney meant it that way.

Sam shrugged. "About the same, as much as can be expected."

McKinney stared, Sam gazed blandly back. Lennox and Epps smothered grins.

"And that means…?" The scientist prompted.

"I'm a teenager, I love junk food. I stay up all night and try to sleep in late. I avoid eating vegetables and love trans-fat."

McKinney narrowed his eyes. "You were given a diet plan."

Sam looked at him. "And you expect me to follow it?"

McKinney's cheek twitched but he was stopped from responding by one of his assistants coming up with a clipboard and flipping over data. Soft murmurs that the humans couldn't hear but Ratchet's optics flared.

McKinney turned back stare at Sam as his technician finished the report. "He seems to be closer to a hybrid of Siri and Kenneth's readings." The technician murmured. "He's more compatible with Kenneth's though."

"What does that mean?" Ratchet asked.

The humans all turned to him, blinking.

The medical officer looked down at the ones in the white coat. "That man says Sam's diagnosis is more similar to Kenneth's data. What data? The readings I have made from Sam's condition is unique, there have been no records of other similar cases."

Al the other researchers looked uncomfortable but McKinney simply looked annoyed. "Siri and Kenneth had both been exposed to the Cube's radiation when they were younger, before we realized just what might be possible and the dangers of prolonged contact."

"Dangers?" Bumblebee locked onto the word.

McKinney looked over the Cybertron metal body. "We are made of flesh and blood, not metal and circuits. The Cube might not be harmful to your race, the frequency and varying wavelength was thought to be harmless to us as well but…times change." McKinney turned back to his assistant and took the clip board. "You're fine Witwicky, no big causes for concern from what I can see."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked nervously. "What were you looking for?"

McKinney spoke casually. "Radiation poisoning is a painful way to die. Nausea, internal bleeding, deterioration of bone marrow, sterility, delirium, and the constant pain until death kind of sheds it appeal."

Sam stumbled back into Lennox. "I-I" he stuttered at the horrifying thoughts and Lennox gripped his arms tight to keep him standing.

"His data is contingent only with Kenneth's earlier readings in the beginning." McKinney continued. "He tends to his own unique reading but if we can extrapolate from Kenneth's, Witwicky is in no danger of death. He should recover, his body is already adjusting."

"Whew." Sam said, tension leaving.

"Extrapolate from Kenneth's?" Prowl repeated ominously.

"Oh, yes." McKinney titled his head. "The reason why we want to find the children soon. If they are still alive, as you said, depending on his last diagnosis, and the time elapsed since," he did some calculations in his head, "the boy should have two months left."

Mikaela and Sam paled; Epps and Lennox were tight faced.

"Two months left?" Prowl repeated.

"To live."

All the Autobots' optics flared, especially the medical officer's.

"I would like to see your data and how you came to that conclusion." Ratchet said.

McKinney turned and one of his assistants came to lead the yellow alien away. He turned back to face the group and pushed his glasses back up. "Now, where did you say they might be?"

Sam's face was pale, thinking of the young boy's skinny figure and how he hadn't ate much at the house but drank a lot of liquids. How sluggish the boy had been in the morning when he came to find Siri, how tired he had been after the initial bout of tickling, the insistent way the older girl had taken care of the little boy, the large blue eyes which had shadows and secrets and stared at Ron Witwicky with such confusion and yearning over breakfast and lunch as father and son sniped at each other.

Their blank faces when he had returned to the washroom to take Kenneth and Siri's words leapt to his mind.

"_You guys have things in common."_

"_Yeah, we're two of a kind."_

Sam swallowed.

"_He's a tough kid, tougher than some adults. But life gives us pretty hard knocks sometimes."_

Did they know? It sounded like it…and two months left…Sam closed his eyes. Leaving the washroom the first time, hearing the lock click, and thinking he must have heard wrong with Kenneth's trailing voice.

"_He feels like the Cube."_

"I don't know." Sam said with a foreboding feeling in his gut.


	9. Flare: Two

This story seems to have a (silent) following (lots of people on Story Alert, not that many reviewing), which I'm not sure if I should be surprised or not, with the OCs I have in here. Most people are against OCs on the general principle they've read some other stories with crappy OCs. I try my best but I just feel that they keep this story moving along, so I hope you can get used to, or at least tolerate, them. Way I think about it, Sam and Mikaela were OCs until the movie came out anyways. The original series didn't have as heavy human orientated narrative.

It's been a long time since I updated, because I drifted over to some other fandoms. I don't know how long this story will end up, but I do have a tentative plot line for it. Problem is, I have a scene for this chapter, a scene for four chapter down the road, and non-inbetween.

* * *

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Two

**Tranquility**

Sam tossed and turned on his bed, sweat lining his brow and soaking his sheets. Sheets entangled around his limbs and his head jerked left then right. His breathing was stilted.

'_What they get you for?'_

_Flying across the ocean, across the river, across the dark distance. Helicopter blades rotating loudly over head. Soundless silence in the vacuum. Large and massive, sunken on one of the four corners. Writing twirled around the outside, glowing with an inner light. _

'_People can die here.'_

_Tall high rise building, windows and metal and twisting sky scarpers. A pawn shop down one street, a white building with statues down four and to the left._

'_You just wanna sit here and wait to see what happens?'_

_Bumblebee on the metal slab, his parents led away to another car, the iced alien dominating his sight, sitting on the battle field staring at Bee. _

'_Come with me we're going to take you to take All Spark.'_

_Running between table and chairs, looking up to Bumblebee raising his arms to touch the metal. Looking down at Bumblebee, material shrinking, glowing with blue light, Bee with his arms open to catch him._

'_He's going to know what to do with the Cube.'_

_Yellow armored robotic organism crawling towards him. Sitting on slated rock, waiting for the yellow form to come close enough to touch. Staring at the All Spark in his hands. _

_A small blonde boy standing in the middle of no where, turning around to stare with large blue eyes. Small girl, taller then the boy but elusive; deep, dark eyes that encompasses everything. _

'_They know the Cube is here.'_

_Spinning barrel guns and a lit cannon blaster. Dark Hummer plating and Ironhide pushing his weapons close. Spinning metal claws and a flashlight approaching. Men in black suits standing around his living room. A desperate young blonde falling over the chest plate of an unknown Cybertron._

'_I think we got off to a bad start.'_

_Running forward, running forward a solid metal box in his arms, pushing upwards, upwards towards a bright glowing _Spark_ – _

' _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!'_

_- _Sam lurched forward into nothingness. He stood in a place of white nothingness, no objects, surfaces, or walls, just white.

He watched the nothingness and from the nothingness emerged a figure, a figure in torn brown sweater, dirt streaked face, faded denim jeans. It was him, Sam, wearing the same clothes he had in Mission City, the ones that had been disposed of by the Government. In the Dream-Sam, Mission City-Sam's hand was the Cube. Mission City-Sam walked over to the dreaming Sam and held up the All Spark.

"What? What do you want me to do?" He asked the figure.

The duplicate did not move, simply smile and continued to offer the alien cube. Sam's hand twitched; taking a breath he lifted the cube from the out stretched hands.

'_I wish to stay with the boy.' _Bumblebee's voice sounded from everywhere.

Sam spun around but there was nothing but the murky whiteness of the dreamscape. "What was that?"

When there was no answer he turned back to see Siri standing in front of him. She wore the same clothes she did the first night he met her, but her skin was shining and her body healthy. She smiled and reached out for his arms. She gripped his wrists gently and pulled him towards her.

"What are you" he began.

'_Sam, put the Cube in my chest.' _Optimus' voice said.

He watched as the Cube was lifted to the height of Siri's chest but she did not stop pulling and he watched wide eyed as it disappeared, sinking into her sternum with blue-white light. When it was over he shook his head.

"I-I don't understand." He said in bewildered confusion then in shock as he noticed his hands were glowing as well. "I-I don't. Understand."

He turned left and bumped into a vending machine which shifted. He turned right, his out flung arm moving in the interior of a minivan brushing against the steering wheel and it unlatched from its place. He stepped back and hit computer tower which grew legs.

"I don't understand." He said and turned once more to Siri who stood with hand outstretched, a can of pop offered in her palm. "I don't understand!" He shouted at her.

Everything else disappeared, leaving only the two of them in the nothing. She walked to him and reached for his hand. She pointed forward and a long oval mirror standing on elaborate legs slid out of the fog.

'_You're about to see, a crown jewel.' _Banachek told him.

He blinked at the full length reflection. He stood in his pajamas holding hands with a Siri who was once again in the baggy sleep clothes. He turned to her but she shook her head and pointed once more. He looked at the mirror and watched as the stars, night sky, and his lawn appeared in the glass.

_Siri inside the mirror stared at the mirror-him for a moment and then rolled off, sliding her body against his. Reflection-Sam got up and extended his hand. Both hissed as open scraps brushed against each other._

_. : - : . _

_They introduced each other and she reached out, wincing as the shook hands._

_. : - : . _

_On the lookout, Siri exiting Prowl. He stuck out his hand as she walked up and she grasped it._

_. : - : . _

_The warehouse lot, Siri tumbling as her foot landed wrong. Lurching forward to grab hold of her and both tumbled horribly. Cut skin, torn palms, and scrapped knee. _

_. : - : . _

_Their figures running, hands clasped as he pulled her along. _

_. : - : . _

_Two hands clenched tightly, droplets of blood trickling down. _

_. : - : . _

The scenes faded into nothing and only their reflections remained.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sam asked. He lifted their intertwined hands. "Is this supposed to mean something?"

_Drip._

_Drip._

The sounded echoed from all nonexistent corners and he looked to the mirror, the sight of the last scene: hands clenched droplets of thick red liquid falling from the scratched palms.

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip – and a flash of blue-white light from the blood._

Sam stumbled back. He looked down at his once more glowing hands and jerked up at the sound of cloth scraping on cement. His reflection rush forward, rush forward with a solid metal box in his arms, pushing upwards, upwards towards a bright glowing Spark and fire, fire running up to Megatron chest and his straining arms and the deteriating up, crumbling to pieces and the firing licking into the tip of his fingers before he fell.

"No." Sam said numbly. "No."

_Fire, pure fire and heat racing up into Megatron's chest and down his arms, _down his arms,_ he's on fire _

"NO!" He shouted.

_He feels like the Cube._

Sam spun to his left because this time there had been a definite direction to the voice. Siri was gone but Kenneth stood with his head tilted, staring at him.

"No, you're wrong Kenny. I'm just me." Sam said.

_We're two of a kind. _

"No, no we're not. We're just lost little boys stuck in a game not our own. We'll win and then we'll be free. We're not."

Kenneth blinked curiously at him. Sam nodded encouraging.

"We're not two of a kind. We're not. We're not alone." Sam said fervently.

Kenneth smiled brightly and nodded, agreeing with him.

_He feels like the cube Siri._

_Yes, he does._

Kenneth giggled mutely at Sam's frozen smile.

"_He feels like the cube Siri."_ Kenneth's soft voice trailed out.

"_Yes," _barely audible_, Siri agreed, "he does."_

The blonde boy laughed soundlessly in delight and ran off to the distance, evaporating into the white.

"No," Sam repeated. "No." Sam looked up, his eyes determined. "No."

Mikaela and Lennox stood in front of him. She in the pink top and blue jeans, he in his army gear; they stared at him faces resolute.

"_No matter what happens – you're a soldier now."_

**. : - : . **

Sam lurched up and tumbled off the bed. The blankets made him stumble but he kicked them off and scrambled to his private bathroom. It was al he could do to reach the bowl in time before he vomited.

When he was done his knees were sore, his throat parched, and the acid putrid in his mouth. He was sweaty, filthy, and he would need to get up to get his own cup to fill with water and a wet a washcloth to wipe his face. There would be no one to do it for him this time.

They had been searching for the two missing friends the past few days with no success. The Sector 7 people were getting agitated and after a call from Optimus Prime, Banachek was speaking with the Secretary of Defense again about accountability.

His dreams kept him up nightly. They no longer focused on Megatron's demise, now they were a jumble of events and created landscapes. The unconscious did not have to make sense but he felt as if his dreams were trying to tell him something. This night's especially, because he could remember most of it. Others told him dreams faded but his just only got sharper and clearer each night.

His parents were getting concerned. He had large bags under his eyes, he was losing his appetite, and he was often exhausted. Luckily it was summer vacation; school wouldn't start for another few weeks.

It was hard to believe it had only been two months ago when his biggest concern had been if he would get invited to the next party or not. Now he worried about national security and the fate of people's lives.

It had only been two months since Mission City. And Kenneth only had two months left to live. Sam winced; he was starting to hate that number.

He gurgled and washed his face, staring with tired blue eyes into his reflection. The dream came back to him and he leaned his forehead to the cool glass. He really needed some peaceful sleep soon. He walked back to his room and sat on his bed. The sun was up and he looked at the clock, it read 6:30 am. This was fairly late for him now; often he was up before 6.

Thinking he should do something constructive with his time he got changed into some comfortable clothes and headed out for a job. Ever since 'that' day Sam had become more contentious of his physical fitness. He never wanted to be chased down so easily again.

Turning the street corner he nodded to Mrs. Stevenson, an elderly neighbor walking her dog. He passed another jogger going in the opposite direction and the vibration of a low engine hum made him look back. Bee was following him at a luxurious pace. The Autobot was aware of his jogging habit now, the first time he had to argue with the alien about safety and to explain the habit.

He ran a few more blocks and to his pleasant surprise, Miles walked with his golden retriever. He used to spend all the free time he had hanging with him, Miles was one of his only friends in school, but since school had ended and the world almost did too, he had people to check in to, debriefings to attended, other obligations like Mikaela and autonomous robotic life forms. Now he was only able to see Miles once or twice a week and only a few hours at a time, due to his schedule and Miles' safety. If he spent too much time with Miles the government might decide to dig deeper then they already have in case of exposure.

Miles hadn't made a big deal about it, it was summer, and Sam did have a girlfriend now, by the luck of the gods. While Sam only had Miles to hang with most of the time, Miles had other friends and groups to spend time with. Miles was not a total jock in the sense of Trent, but his agility and limberness had earned him his place on the Basketball and Volleyball teams in high school since freshmen year. Tranquility High was famous for its football team which went off to the Interstate for the past four years straight, in contrast, the basketball and volleyball teams won the Regional matches but going beyond that was dependent on the team changes each year.

Miles was outgoing and maybe ignorant, while Sam was insecure and sensitive. Miles was oblivious at times but he was fun to be with, and the arts crowd loved him. Miles and Sam had grown up together since they were children and once in a while Miles would try to help shy Sam get over his insecurity. Like the time when Miles had convinced him to try out for the football team after a week of nagging for him to try a sport team, any sport team.

Sam still had flashbacks to that. Sam was never making that mistake again.

Miles did notice that he and Sam spent less time together but since it seemed like it was all for the better, Mikaela made Sam happy, he didn't mind too much. But he smiled when he saw his friend jogging towards him.

"Yo, Sam!" Miles greeted.

He slowed down and turned to walk with Miles. "Hey Miles."

"How are things going man?" Miles asked.

The two boys chatted as they continued down the street, back in the direction of Sam's house. "Good." Out of the corner of his sight Bumblebee drove away, now content with the knowledge Sam was with a friend.

"Saw your lawn again the other day, still can't get over it." Miles said. "That must have cost mega dollars and your dad couldn't even spring more for your first car?"

Sam tried not to wince. "It worked out fine. Besides, you've seen my new upgrade."

"After it got totaled from the government or something? That's not the same car man, they gave you're a new one." Miles said. "A great one, but a new one."

Sam laughed "No, it's the same car, hard to believe I know but, believe me."

"Whatever man. How's Mikaela?" Mile pulled on the leash as the Labrador tried to run ahead. "Everything cool?"

"Everything's great." Sam smiled goofily as they walked past the recycling and garbage cans on the curb. "Couldn't be better." He was lying, but he couldn't tell Miles everything he wanted to.

"Crazy." Miles wound the long leash around his palm his dog sniffed between the large gray plastic bins at a discarded monitor. "Stop it boy!" The dog whined and almost knocked over the computer tower.

Sam tried not to laugh as Miles pulled on the leash of the immobile dog. "Morning walk?"

"Damn right." Miles grunted. "And afterwards, I'm going home to go straight back to bed. Waaay too early for this man." Yanking harshly on the leash once more, the Labrador finally walked away from the pile.

Sam walked two steps with Miles, paused, and looked back with a frown before shaking his head.

"You alright?" Miles stared at him.

"I'm fine." He rubbed the faint prickling in his chest. "Just having an indigestion moment."

"What did you eat?"

The question was what he kept down these days. Acid reflux was too much of a norm, food being tasted the second time did not have the same appeal as it rushed past his esophagus. "Too much junk food."

"Have to cut down on the friend stuff myself," Miles winced, "family is on a health kick. Take out these days is sorely lacking in the pizza and fried chicken variety."

Sam smiled, "same with my mom. Salads and soups, until she loses that 5 pounds she says."

A soft scraping sound from behind made Sam turn, but he saw nothing. Miles paused beside him, confused. "You okay man?"

"Uh, yeah," he shook his head, "nothing, just though I heard something."

"Probably just a car down the road."

They started walking, "probably."

Another sound, a faint prickling in the back of his head, and Sam whipped around. Miles jerked at the leash as the Labrador reacted to the sudden movement. "Whoa, boy! Sit! Sit!"

There was nothing but the empty streets and winds brushing past newly cut grass. Nothing but the street lights changing color on schedule, garbage bins and other junk rolled out to the curb for pick-up. Nothing but the old junk and beat up computer by the sidewalk-

The computer tower was farther from the junk pile than it had been before. Where it had been standing next to the monitor and other broken electronics, there was now a meter separating the lone computer tower and the other items. The computer tower also, while not new, was less tarnished by scratches and faded marks then the rest of the objects. From the back where the holes were made for the cooling fan, Sam saw a small spark of blue light.

His heart pounded.

"Uh, Miles," He said to his friend, "why don't you go on first. Your dog seems jittery, and I don't have the energy to jog anymore." His smile was forced. "Go on, have a run with him. I'll call you later."

Miles frowned, "You sure man?"

"Yeah," his voice seemed strained, "I'll catch you next time, eh?"

"Alright then, see ya Sam." He gave a half wave and unhooked the leash form the collar. "Run boy!"

The Labrador took off in a sprint down the street, headed towards the park in three blocks. Sam watched the shifting muscles of his friend's back, ears prickling at the sound of metal grinding and shifting softly behind him. When Miles disappeared around the corner without looking back, Sam slowly turned, half expecting and hoping that he was wrong.

Standing as tall as his ribs, gray plating in strategic armored placements, braced on two metal feet, a skeletal metalloid frame, and circuitry made of wiring, neon eyes flashing with electricity, an autonomous robotic organism with its head tilted in curiosity blinked at him a small distance away.

He mentally screamed for Bumblebee.

He swallowed, felt his smile waver and said, "Hello."

God, he hoped it was an Autobot.


	10. Flare: Comrade

Thanks to **Stesuna the Dragon, ArmoredSoul, Caellach Tiger Eye**,and **trigirl48** for reviewing, this chapter is dedicated to you guys. It's also nice to see that someone else shares my view that Optimus was a bit less empathetic then he usually was in the movie compared to during the other series. . **  
**

* * *

**Title**: Flare  
**Summery:** The events of Mission City has lasting effect on Sam. A new girl, boy, her car, Decepticons, and the way his life might have changed more then he thought. Sam on (not) being a hero and human.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Comrade

"Okay." He said forcibly calm, standing inside a deserted alleyway out of view from the main street that the robot seemed content to follow him to, "what do you want?"

It opened its electronic mouth, paused, seemed thoughtful and spoke illegible static. Sam stared at it blankly as it waited expectedly for a reply.

"I didn't understand that." He said quickly after the silence when the robot seemed to become upset.

A look of understanding seemed to come to the robot and Sam heard an audible clicking inside the alien's framework before it tried again.

"Sa-mu-e-lu Re-ri-ki." It said, slowly and heavily accented.

"Witwicky." He clarified.

Another click; "Wi'wic'y." This time it sounded Australian.

"Wit-Wicky." He repeated.

Another click. "Wit-wic-y." There was a definite British accent to this one.

"Wit-wic-ky." He punctuated slowly.

"Witwicky." It finally managed tone moderately high and rushed.

"Yeah, that's right." He praised.

The robotic organism, Sam swore, even as insensible it sounded, beamed. It jumped slightly onto its toes and its fingers fluttered in delight. He stared at the smallest alien robot he had ever met, who watched him in equal fascination.

"Who are you?" Sam finally asked.

It hadn't tried to kill him or offer to keep him as a pet yet, so it probably wasn't a Decepticon.

"I have no designation." It told him.

"You don't have a name?"

It shook its head. "Not yet. Will you not name me, creator?"

"Cre-a-what?" He spluttered.

It titled its head, and the mannerisms and tone of voice strongly reminded Sam of a young child. "Assign me a designation, creator."

"Creator, me?" He pointed at himself, then looked around to make sure it was not referring to someone else. "Me?"

It nodded solemnly to his incredulous shock.

"Creator? No way, I'm not a creator." He told it. "I'm, I'm just a teenage boy, Earthen, Terran. Whatever. Human."

It tilted its head, blinking, face scrunching. "Really?"

Sam opened his mouth-

_-I dropped the cube once, and god almighty, the vending machine and computer came to _life_, but I didn't have time to think about it-_

-and froze.

_Vending machine and _computer_ came to _life.

He stared, slacked jawed at the robotic being in front of him. He gaped.

"Creator?" it asked, "Lord Samuel Witwicky?"

He gasped, a deep, reverberating breath in. "Oh my God, Oh my God."

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't.

The tiny robot tentatively shuffled closer, "Lord Creator?"

It obviously was, but it _shouldn't_. Was his normal life forever gone now? Even more so then before? He thought he could still settle in, Autobots and undercover agents aside, he had been at the least been offered the illusion of normality after Mission City. But if this continued, it would never come back.

"Just a vending machine." He muttered, "just need to find the vending machine. No problem. That's it. Computer and vending machine. Two of them. Then it's over." The Allspark was gone after all.

Its glowing eyes shuttered closed and opened once more in a blink. "You wish to see sister?"

"Sis-wha?" Sam asked, interrupted from his inner dialogue.

The robotic life form let out a short, loud, burst of static that had Sam wincing. Sounds of clogs turning and metal scraping from outside the alleyway and suddenly, the thin pathway out of the dead end was blocked by a taller, skinny shadow. Gleaming silver in the morning light, the new autonomous robotic being walked towards him.

"Creator." It said, voice softer and higher ranged, like a girl's.

Oh gods, like a girl's. He hadn't even _known_ there could be girl robots. Didn't Prime say they were created from the AllSpark? Why would they have girl robots?

She, from all apparent deductions, came to the bottom of his ribs, almost a full head taller than the smaller one. Her upper body did seem to narrow slightly at a waist part, and flare out to give immature hips. The smaller one had as square of an upper half as he remembered any of the other larger robots, and he supposed it was a boy.

She, it made no sense, but she _curtsied_, _respectfully_. Sam was gaping like an idiot but he couldn't help it.

"Creator." It said demurely then straightened, peering up at him, face bright with expectation.

"Eh-um, we need to talk about that." He told them nervously, laughing with an unstable chuckle, "Me? Creator? That's…that's not really…uh…"He took a deep breath. "Can you not call me that?"

The two robots traded uncertain looks before the female squared her shoulders. "How would you like us to address you, Creator?"

Sam smiled, pinched. "What ever you want?"

The smaller one danced up beside the female, clasping its hands, and stared at Sam with wide eyes. "Daddy?" It –almost- pleaded.

Sam felt like he was sucker punched. Sam felt like he was in the football game again, being tackled and at the bottom of the dog pile. No, he felt like he was falling off Prime's shoulder and landing forcefully into Bumblebee's rigid, unforgiving hands with fate and gravity against him.

All the air left Sam's lungs. "No." He expelled gasping.

Silence.

"Father?" The female offered hesitantly.

Sam closed his eyes in pain. "I. I'm not" _your Creator_. He wanted to say, except he sort of was.

It was because of him they came into being. But he was definitely not their Father, they came from the AllSpark, they were autonomous robotic life forms while he was human. He didn't think he was their father, how did you become father to a life that was made outside of biological conception and genetic origin, anyways?

Yes, a father helped in creating you and he also passed half on his genes. And Sam didn't remember passing on anything.

Except they seemed to have inherited his insecurity problems.

None of the Autobots or Decepticons he met seemed like they ever had insecurity problems.

_Fuck._

"We can't talk here." He told them to their increasing happy faces, of what he had no clue. "Do you, can you…I mean, do you have a mobile form you can transform into?"

They eagerly nodded. "We can scan the vehicles capable of movement on the street. We have done so before."

"The cars?" He questioned.

They nodded.

"Okay then." He led them out to the street, carefully looking both ways so there were no spectators.

He was about to tell them to scan the parked Sedan in front of him before he paused. He was still unsure of the two newcomers, and transforming into a car required him to sit inside of it. And he wasn't sure he could trust them to that extent. Instead he motioned them to the locked bicycle.

"Can you change into this?"

The female looked insulted. "That is a primitive object; it barely requires any data processing and assimilation." She said in the same tone as a teenage girl would say '_duh'._

"I'll take that as a yes." He said, pretending to ignore her sarcasm, and using the same attitude as one of his teachers would on a student speaking out of turn. "Wait, if you changed forms before, why were you still a computer tower and vending machine?"

"We returned to our first forms so that you might recognize us." She said, almost bashful.

"And you did!" The smaller one squealed. "You did! Our creator would obviously recognize us."

Sam felt a headache coming on. He wanted to argue with them but he had noticed them, at least the smaller one, earlier. "We'll talk later."

The female quickly shifted to a duplicate of the bicycle. Except she was new and shining, no scratches, and where the speed gears were supposed to be, a motor was attached to the back wheel with an exhaust pipe.

He stared, "Okay that's not going to work."

He waited for her to change back and she seemed embarrassed. The smaller robot walked up to her and they linked their four finger metallic hands in a too cute motion for Sam's comfort. The side of his head throbbed in an almost blinding pain before he could control it. He gasped deeply for air, locking his muscles and joints so he would not fall; when his sight cleared his body was strung tight as the massive headache retreated.

"Okay." He breathed down to robotic concerned faces. "Um," he patted himself down for alternatives, making mental sides notes he should either start making sure about eating and keeping his food down more or to bring pain killers with him when he left the house. He felt the step counter clipped onto his belt and pulled it off, "can you turn into this?" He showed them the small black electronic. "Then I can carry you."

The two faces brightened, luminous eyes flaring, and the device was scanned from left to right. Two small figures were held in mid air as they shifted shapes and shrank, shrank, and shrank. Finally two duplicates of the step counter lay on the pavement before him. He stared, a million questions and arguments about his own judgment running through his head, but simply clipped the step counter back into the original spot and reach down to pick up the two other innocuous seeming devices.

They didn't look alien at all. Or dangerous. But they never did at first.

He stared, one in each hand, and tried to gather the nerve to clip them onto the belt as well.

It was hard.

After some time one of the black electronics vibrated, like the robot could have been fidgeting. He barely stopped himself from jerking and letting it fall to the ground.

He wondered if he could bring himself to trust them enough to casually attach them to his hip and keep walking.

H never got his answer as Bumblebee screeched around the corner, clearly over the speed limit, and Sam shoved the devices into his pocket hurriedly.

**. : - : . **

Bumblebee had joined Prowl at the lookout earlier. The Head Strategist and Optimus Prime's Second in Command stood unmoving as Bumblebee transformed from car mode to their bipedal form. It almost hurt, because more likely then not the younger Cybertron had just come from checking on his human friend.

"Samuel is fine?" Prowl asked because he followed protocol and protocol demanded that he be polite and respect his brothers.

"He is out jogging." Bumblebee replied.

They stood in silence after that. Bumblebee knew the other warrior was strong, Prowl was Optimus' Second in Command because he earned it and proven himself. But there were limits for everyone. Bumblebee worried on the emotional stability of his comrade. Prowl had confirmed the news of Jazz's death in the recent week, and as much as their personalities had been contrasting, straitlaced Prowl and the jaunty Jazz had been close friends. On top of the bereavement of their brother in arm, Prowl's human comrade had disappeared and with no leads in sight.

Bumblebee couldn't imagine how that felt. He already worried about Sam whenever the boy was out of his sensory ranges for too long: when he was at school, on a date with Mikaela in a mall or some other human establishment Bumblebee couldn't follow, or out jogging around the neighborhood by himself at odd hours. Humans were such fragile creatures and they exuded and attracted chaos in turns. Simply look at how much trouble and danger Sam had gotten in less then a fortnight after Bumblebee had found him.

Bumblebee couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in Prowl's situation, that if his own human comrade, if Sam, had disappeared from him for days on end, with no contact at all, and no definite indications to where he might be found.

The only similar experience he had were the hours when Sector Seven had captured him on the bridge, spraying him with sub-zero freeze liquid, and Sam had been taken by Agent Simmons to a place Bumblebee hadn't been able to protect him from. But Sam came back to him, when Bumblebee had been dazed and enraged by the pain of his coolant expanding and forcing his armor outwards, of the electromagnetic impulses being slowed to incompetence, of his Spark being _frozen_, not dimming, but frozen so that he was unable do anything but watch as they experimented on him.

He hadn't wanted to end like that. He had always thought he would go down fighting, in a blaze or eruption or falling as one of courageous many over a gladiator like battlefield. Not rigid and helpless over a piece of soft metal that he could have punched through with his bare hands.

Sam had come back to him, to release him when Bumblebee had all been doomed – because Bumblebee knew Optimus and being Prime had heavy responsibilities. Optimus would have left him because he knew he would have had to make Bumblebee's sacrifice worth it, because Bumblebee _had_ sacrificed himself, and he knew that Optimus would have grieved him deep and hard, but as a leader he needed to ensure the war was won as opposed to saving a soldier.

Hope wasn't something he thought about, neither was giving up, but the acceptance of a warrior's eventual end was a fate all the Autobots had accepted long ago. Then Sam had burst in to the room, stopped them, came back for him, saved him, and '_come with me we're going to take you to take AllSpark_.'

Bumblebee pushed the memories away. It was not the time for his individualistic reminiscing.

The situation was different between them. Siri had disappeared with three Decepticons in tow, and Prowl had asked they stop their search for Siri. Prowl had suggested they not to search for her since the beginning.

"Humans are frustrating." Prowl said.

_-"I'm good big guy." "He's hurt. You won. Can't we just call it a day?" "I'm okay. I'm fine."-_

Bumblebee agreed.

"She was not logical." Prowl declared.

So the Tactician had been thinking of Siri instead of Jazz, who was the other possibility for the morose silence.

"She was almost infuriating; hypocritical at times."

_-One lifetime: Kenneth's. And then afterwards you can blow each other up for all I care. / He's not the one leaving us.-_

Bumblebee listened, because there must be a reason why Prowl picked him to speak with. Probably because they were the only two who had teenage civilians who inspired, but confused them. Lennox followed a military life, and his mannerisms were much the same as theirs when it came to decision making.

Prowl looked out at the morning horizon, remembering of the earlier days. "Illogical. Discarding rules and protocols. A combination of stupidity and courage until you couldn't really tell which."

_-"If you help the Decepticons, I might have to kill you Siri."_

_She lifted a stubborn chin; her face a mix challenge, anger, fear, trepidation, and startlingly, a soft longing. "Why don't you try?"-_

"Foolish and fearful, and confrontational."

_- I'm not running. I'm of legal age. I'm living under my own power. / Thank you for all you've done / you can't protect me forever. / __**Doesn't every being have the right to live?**__-_

Bumblebee remained silent; he knew the Strategist had more to say. Prowl, surprisingly, sighed. That was not a Cybertron trait. It seemed Siri had laid her influence on him.

"The medic oath," Prowl commented, pulling Bumblebee out of his thoughts.

"The one she told Ratchet?" He questioned.

Prowl was still, almost peaceful in the quiet. "It had been a short period of time. But she gave me one too: **to serve and protect.**"

Bumblebee blinked, that sounded…very nice actually. And very right, for many of the Autobots. "That's a worthy pledge."

"Different from the one she told Ratchet," Prowl stated, "to** save Sparks, not Autobots**."

"I wonder how Wheeljack would take it." Bumblebee said.

Prowl did not reply. His optics was dim, looking inside himself. Bumblebee allowed him time to his thoughts. The forlorn mood was not one he was used to from Prowl, but every bot was entitled to their own ways of grief.

Suddenly a notion stuck Bumblebee, almost wheeling back physically. Instead his deduction circuits worked overtime, electromagnetic pulses scrambling as Bumblebee re-listened to the conversation in his mind. And the wistful subtleties underlying the words.

"Prowl, are you…" Bumblebee was lost, "…attached to your human?"

Prowl stared back at him; "Are you not?"

Bumblebee thought about Sam. Sam and Mikaela. Lennox and Ironhide. Then on Bumblebee and Sam. Prowl and Siri.

Bumblebee had no response.

"She was terrified of me in the beginning." Prowl said in the speechlessness that followed, "Fearful beyond measure. But she still watched me approach, and responded."

Bumblebee understood that sentiment.

"Sometimes abnormally scared. I wondered…"

But Bumblebee didn't find out what it was Prowl wondered because at that moment they both jerked to the Northwest direction where a transmission wave was broadcasting on Autobot frequency.

The two robotic organisms shared looks of disbelief. They both turned and jumped, shifting into their mobile vehicle forms. Prowl sent out a locator request and instantaneous all Autobot on the planet side sent back coordinates.

Everyone was moving except their leader Optimus Prime, who was on an open grass plane off the side of an empty stripe of highway, where everyone was now heading. Bumblebee raced through the streets of morning Tranquility, blazing past all the familiar streets to where Sam visited.

* * *

_Optimus Prime, we have received your message. This is the Ark. We are currently outside the atmosphere of the planet and circling in orbit. Please respond. I repeat. Optimus Prime, we have received your message. This is the Ark. We are currently outside the atmosphere of the planet and circling in orbit. Please respond.  
_


End file.
